Kremlin paves way to annexing 4 regions of Ukraine as it announces referendum results
The Kremlin paved the way Tuesday to annex part of Ukraine and escalate the war by announcing that residents of a large swath overwhelmingly supported joining with Russia in stage-managed referendums that the U.S. and its Western allies have dismissed as illegitimate.
No surprise there.
… officials said all four occupied regions of Ukraine voted to join Russia. According to Russia-installed election officials, 93 per cent of the ballots cast in the Zaporizhzhia region supported annexation, as did 87 per cent in the Kherson region, 98 per cent in the Luhansk region and 99 per cent in Donetsk.
These are the same regions that had voted for independence from the pro-west government?
Many Western leaders have called the referendum a sham, and the UN Security Council was scheduled to meet later Tuesday in New York to discuss a resolution that says the voting results will never be accepted and that the four regions remain part of Ukraine. Russia is certain to veto the resolution.
So it will be once again all show, just like what happened with the area of Crimea.
So the majority Russian speaking areas will now be under Russia’s direct control, just like it did with Crimea. Which looks like was the goal all along.
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