Luhansk and Kherson officials apply to join Russia

Separatist leaders in Ukraine’s Luhansk and Kherson regions have asked Kremlin President Vladimir Putin that Russia annex those regions.

“Given that the people of the republic approved the decision in the referendum, I ask you to consider the issue of integrating the Luhansk People’s Republic into Russia as a subject of the Russian Federation,” Reuters quoted Leonid Bashnik, the pro-Russian director of Luhansk, as saying. say. A similar statement was made by the separatist leader in Kherson, Vladimir Saldo.

Such demand is also expected from Donetsk and Zaporizhia after the fake referendums that ended yesterday. And after the elections, which Moscow criticized yesterday as a violation of international law, the occupation administrations set up by Moscow spoke of great admiration for joining Russia. The mock referendums, which have been held for five days in total since Friday in the wake of a major international outcry, have not been recognized worldwide.

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Ukraine demands weapons to take it back

Meanwhile, Ukraine once again demanded the West for weapons to regain the territory. “As in the case of Ukraine’s Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions remain sovereign regions of Ukraine,” Kyiv stressed.

Ukraine has every right to restore its territorial integrity through military and diplomatic means. “Ukraine will never agree to any ultimatum from Russia,” she said.

She added that the European Union, NATO and the Group of Seven countries should impose new tough sanctions on Russia immediately. In addition, military support for Ukraine should be increased. The army needs “tanks, fighter planes, armored vehicles, long-range artillery, anti-aircraft and anti-missile defences”.

EU: ‘Further violation of sovereignty’

The European Union has already confirmed that it will not recognize the result of the mock referendums. “The European Union condemns the illegal ‘referendum’ and its fraudulent results,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote on Twitter today. “This is another violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, accompanied by systematic violations of human rights.”

European Union Council President Charles Michel also criticized the sham referendums and their results. “False polls. Fake results. We don’t recognize one or the other,” he wrote on Twitter.

Austria strongly condemned the holding of the two fake referendums. “This is another serious attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. Therefore, Austria, of course, does not recognize spurious referendums that violate international law, nor the annexation of Ukrainian territory.