Lugansk and Donetsk to hold referendum on accession to Russia

In the midst of the Ukrainian counteroffensive and the recent recapture of Kharkov by the Ukrainian army, the authorities of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk have announced that they will hold a referendum on the possible accession of these territories to Russia.

According to Denis Miroshnichenko, the speaker of the Lugansk parliament, the referendum will be held on 23 and 27 September after the public chamber unanimously approved a law on the holding of the referendum, as reported by the Russian news agency Interfax. For the moment, the Ukrainian government has not commented on the matter, although last Friday it rejected the validity of these votes. 

In addition to Donetsk and Lugansk, representatives of a pro-Russian consultative body in the Zaporiyia region have joined the position of these regions in calling for "the immediate holding of a referendum". According to Interfax, in a note, "the participants of the Public Chamber of citizens of the Zaporiyia region appeal to the head of the provisional regional administration (installed by Russia), Yevgeny Balitsky, with the demand to immediately organise a referendum on the issue of the union of our region to the Russian Federation".

The civic council imposed by the pro-Russian authorities in Kherson has also presented an initiative to hold a referendum on the annexation of Kherson to Russia. In this way, Kherson has once again opted for an initiative that they claim will be approved by the population and will help to guarantee "security in the territory". In this way, Kherson would resume the process of annexation to Russia after announcing at the beginning of September the "temporary cessation" of the referendum after citing security reasons, at a time when the Ukrainian counteroffensive was at its peak.

In the event of a possible annexation into Russian territory, Ukraine is likely to contest the holding of the referendum, which they themselves consider to be illegal. In the event of annexation and attack on these positions, the Russian army could respond with a larger-scale attack claiming that its own territory has been attacked.

Meanwhile, 210 days have passed since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine at a time when the Ukrainian army has managed to recapture important enclaves. In this context, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned his Russian adversaries that they "only have" the choice of leaving Ukraine or surrendering. 

In his evening speech, he told Russian soldiers that "you have only two options: flee our land or surrender. The collaborators have similar options: either they try to escape - and it remains to be seen whether Russia will let them into its territory - or they will be condemned according to the current legislation".

The Ukrainian leader also announced that Ukrainian troops are still holding firm their positions in the Kharkov region and do not appear to be retreating for the time being.