Volodymyr Zelensky is sure of it, Russia intends to organize a fake independence referendum in the regions of Kherson and Zaporijjia which it occupies in the south of the country.
In a video message published Thursday evening, the Ukrainian president asks the inhabitants of the zones under Russian occupation not to provide any personal data, such as their passport numbers, which would be required of them by the Russian forces.
“It's not fair to conduct a census.
(…) It is not to give you humanitarian aid of any kind.
It is, in fact, to falsify a so-called referendum on your land, if the order to organize this comedy comes from Moscow, ”warns Volodymyr Zelensky.
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Ukraine had already accused, in early March, Russia of seeking to stage a "referendum" in Kherson like the one which, in 2014, had sealed the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia.
A referendum now considered illegal by kyiv and by Westerners.
Referendums held in Donbass ruled invalid
In eastern Ukraine, the pro-Russian separatist territories of Donetsk and Lugansk have declared their independence as “people's republics”.
The referendums held there are also deemed null and void by the international community.
On February 21, three days before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of these two territories.
No question for kyiv that the same scenario occurs elsewhere in Ukraine.
“There will be no People's Republic of Kherson,” insists Volodymyr Zelensky.
If someone wants a new annexation, more powerful sanctions will hit Russia,” threatens the leader.
Kherson is the first major city captured by Russian forces after their February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
A little further north-east, the Russian army also controls a vast sector around the city of Zaporijjia, which remains held by the Ukrainians.
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