Russia declared victory in a series of UN-condemned referendums as President Vladimir Putin looks to annex a large chunk of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory in its war against Kyiv.
What Happened: Results are clear, said Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian Security Council, on his official Telegram channel. He said that Russia had concluded the referendums and that they were home to Russia.
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After counting all ballots in his region, Denis Pushilin, head of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic, said on his Telegram that 99.23% of those polled are willing to join the Russian Federation.
Why is the referendum important because it marks a new escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war and the spiraling conflict between Putin and the West. The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the ballots as a violation of the UN Charter and international law. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also rejected the results in a statement released on Wednesday by his official Facebook page.
He said that Russia's criminal actions will not change anything for Ukraine. This farce in the occupied territory can't be called an imitation of a referendum. President Putin is expected to announce the accession of Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine on September 30.
According to the U.K. Ministry of Defence, Putin is going to address both houses of the country's Parliament on Friday and may use this opportunity to announce the accession of Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine into the Federation.
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