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,” wrote Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian Security Council, on his official Telegram channel, Bloomberg reported. “Welcome home to Russia,” he added, while claiming that Russia had concluded the referendums.
Denis Pushilin, the head of the self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic, also posted on his Telegram that after counting all ballots in his region, it was concluded that 99.23% of those polled are willing to join the Russian Federation.
Why It's Important: The referendums mark a new escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war and the spiraling conflict between Putin and the West. The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had condemned the ballots as a “violation of the UN Charter and international law.”
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Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also rejected the results in a statement released on Wednesday on his official Facebook page.
“None of Russia’s criminal actions will change anything for Ukraine,” he said. “This farce in the occupied territory cannot even be called an imitation of referendum.”
President Putin is also expected to announce the accession of Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine on Sept. 30.
According to the U.K Ministry of Defence, Putin is due to address both houses of the country's Parliament on Friday and may use this opportunity to formally announce the accession of Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine into the Federation.
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