Ukraine warns that Russia seeks accession of occupied territories with ‘pseudo-referendum’
Written by afrolivefm on 21 Jul, 2022
Ukrainian authorities warned Thursday that Russia is laying the groundwork through alleged popular consultations to decide the fate and status of southern territories temporarily occupied during the war, including Zaporiyia and Kherson.
Interior Ministry Intelligence spokesman Vadim Skibitsky explained that “the occupant is creating the basis for deciding the fate and status of the temporarily occupied territories in the south” and that for this purpose Russia is “very actively” issuing passports.
Skibitsky noted that an attempt by Moscow to speed up the deadlines, the process of obtaining Russian passports for Zaporiyia and Kherson is being handled “more simply” than when the same procedure was carried out for Donetsk and Lugansk. “You write an application and get a passport,” he has said.
“They are preparing for this, they are preparing the international community for the fact that this is, so to speak, a help for the Russian-speaking population, for those citizens of Russia who live in the temporarily occupied territories,” he has ventured.
Skibitsky maintains that these consultations are nothing more than “pseudo-referendum” so that these territories can either join Russia or remain as “pseudo-formations”, like Donetsk and Lugansk.
