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A controversial referendum on whether the Moscow-controlled region of Ukraine should join Russia began Friday, according to a Russian-backed official.
The referendum asks whether certain Ukrainians want their region to be part of Russia. The vote, which is expected to tip in favor of Russia, has been condemned by Ukrainians and Westerners alike, who accuse it of being an illegal step toward annexation.
The referendum, which concerns four occupied territories, will likely be used by the Kremlin to justify annexing Ukrainian territories and escalate the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Voting is taking place in Luhansk, Kherson, and the partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhia and Donetsk regions.
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In the first few days, residents will be brought in their ballots by election officials and makeshift polling stations will also be set up. An official installed in Russia cited “security reasons” for the voting process.
Residents will be invited to vote at their regular polling stations next Tuesday, the final day of the referendum.
If the vote turns in Russia’s favor, the Kremlin will provide a pretext that the Ukrainian military is attacking Russia directly in an attempt to regain control of the disputed territory.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky referred to the “fake referendum” in his nightly speech and called Russian citizens “accomplices in all these crimes.”
The President of Ukraine said in Russian: “You are already complicit in all these crimes, murders and tortures of Ukrainians.” rice field”
“For Russian men, this is a choice between life and death, crippling and staying healthy,” Zelensky added. “A Russian woman’s choice is to lose her husband, son, and grandchildren forever, or to try to protect them from death, war, and one person.”
As voting began on Friday, Russian social media sites were reportedly flooded with emotional scenes of families saying goodbye to a man leaving for military service, according to the Associated Press.
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The referendum ends on September 27th.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.