Ukraine war: Russia drives division - Luhansk to vote on independence
Created: 03/27/2022, 15:22
By: Daniel Dillman
Civil war has been raging in eastern Ukraine for six years.
Now the separatists want to vote on final accession to Russia.
In the middle of the Ukraine war*, the breakaway Republic of Luhansk wants to vote on a connection to Russia*.
Shortly before the start of the Ukraine conflict*, Russia's President Vladimir Putin* recognized the independence of the pro-Russian republics of Luhansk and Donetsk.
Ukraine* continues to fight for the east of the country.
But according to information from Moscow * the area has long been under the control of the Kremlin.
Luhansk – In the breakaway republic of Luhansk, the pro-Russian separatists want to establish facts.
In the middle of the war with Russia, the population of the region in eastern Ukraine is to vote in a referendum on "accession" to Russia.
This was announced by separatist leader Leonid Pasechnik on Sunday, according to reports by Russian news agencies.
The polling of the population should exercise its "constitutional right and express its opinion on joining the Russian Federation" in the "near future".
While the Ukraine war has been raging almost across the country for more than a month after the attack from Russia, the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine has been going on since 2014. At that time, pro-Russian separatists with support from Moscow in the Ukrainian districts of Donetsk and Luhansk had so-called "independent people's republics".
According to international estimates, more than 14,000 people have died in the clashes with the Ukrainian army.
Ukraine war: Luhansk to vote on union with Russia
Shortly before the attack on Ukraine on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the breakaway People's Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent from Ukraine.
At the same time, the Kremlin chief announced that a "defence cooperation" had been agreed.
According to Putin, this would include guarantees of assistance in the event of attacks.
The government of Ukraine under President Volodymyr Zelenskyj* rejects the independence of the separatist areas.
His country will not give up the areas.
However, according to consistent information, Kyiv* lost control of the east of the country at the latest since the start of the Ukraine war.
According to the Russian military, over 90 percent of the territories have been wrested from Ukrainian control.
Ukrainian soldiers near Luhansk.
The area in the east of the country has been contested since 2014.
© Anatolii Stepanov/afp
War in Ukraine: Referendum in Luhansk based on Crimea model
A referendum similar to the one the separatists are now planning in Luhansk already took place in March 2014 on the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea*.
According to official figures, 95.5 percent voted in favor of reunification with Russia.
Voter turnout is said to have been over 80 percent.
The vote was not recognized internationally.
However, Russia took the referendum at the time as an opportunity to include Crimea in its territory.
In the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, Russia is demanding, among other things, that Kyiv recognize the annexation of Crimea and the secession of Luhansk and Donetsk.
(dil/afp/dpa)
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