The "voting into Russia" in four regions of Ukraine, namely Donetsk , Lugansk , Khlsson and Zaporoze were held from September 23 to 27. According to Russian media, polls show that most residents in these areas support joining the Russian Federation, so after the vote, Russia's total population may increase by 5 million to 6 million.
htmlOn the 123rd, and even four regions including Donetsk had not yet reached the 23rd, their "referendum to Russia" had already started from the Kamchatka Peninsula, the easternmost end of Russia. There are displaced residents in Donetsk, Luhansk, Khlsson and Zaporoze areas. Russia has set up polling stations across the country, allowing four settlements living in various places to vote.
On the same day, Russian media published reports of successful voting in various places.
All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center stated that 97% of the residents of Donetsk and Lugansk who plan to participate in the voting will vote for joining the Russian Federation. In Zaporoze, 87% of residents support the decision to join the Russian Federation, while in Khlsun, the figure is 89%.
Since the Russian army began special military operations on February 24, it has controlled the coastal parts of the Azov Sea of Khlsong Prefecture and Zaporoze Prefecture, including major cities such as Khlsong, Melitopol and Berkansk, and cut off Ukraine's ties with Azov Sea of . Military and civil administrative agencies have also been established in these areas, and Russian TV programs and radio have begun to be broadcasted, using rubles , etc.
Now it seems that some of the policies implemented by Russia in these regions at that time may be in preparation for the current vote and for them to join Russia.
According to Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main committee of the pro-Russian Zaporoje Prefecture administrative agency, the total area of the "liberated area" where the vote was held was about 113,000 square kilometers. After the vote, the total population of Russia may increase by 5 million to 6 million.
The Western attitude towards this vote is to condemn and to sanction.
CNN said that the occupied Ukraine joined Russia to conduct a "false" referendum today. The referendum was widely condemned by the West as illegal, but such a move could provide Moscow with an excuse to escalate its "fallen invasion", where Ukraine has recovered thousands of square kilometers of territory this month. EU said it would not recognize the results and said it was preparing to impose a new package of sanctions on Russia.
So what are the four regions that hold the vote?
Donetsk
0 Russia is called the "Donetsk People's Republic". It is located in the southern part of the Eastern European plain , and borders Ukraine's Dnepropetrovsk , Zaporoze, Kharkov , Lugansk, and Russia. Its total area is 26,500 square kilometers and its population is about 4.2 million. It is the state with the largest population in Ukraine. Among them, Ukrainian ethnic group accounts for about 50%, and Russian ethnic group accounts for about 45%. However, the subsequent war caused a large loss of people. According to statistics from Donetsk, as of March 1, 2022, its permanent population was about 2.198 million.
Donetsk city appeared in the early 1860s and was originally developed from a mining village. At the end of the 19th century, the region entered a stage of industrial prosperity, with metallurgical plants and machinery manufacturing plants, railways and mines built. Thousands of workers flocked to the Donbass , and settlements and cities developed rapidly. Donbas was once one of the major fuel metallurgical bases in the Soviet Union and had a high degree of industrialization. Historically, the state was once named "Stalino" to commemorate the Soviet leader Stalin . After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it became a part of Ukraine.
In April 2014, protests broke out in southeastern Ukraine in pro-Russia to express dissatisfaction with the replacement of the Ukrainian leadership by the "color revolution". From then on, the local pro-Russian armed forces and the Ukrainian army were caught in a war that lasted for more than eight years. On May 12, 2014, Donetsk declared independence.
Luhansk
Luhansk is located in the southern part of the Eastern European plains and is a state in the easternmost part of Ukraine, bordering Ukraine Kharkov, Donetsk, and Russia. The area is about 26,700 square kilometers, with about 2.1 million residents, about 58% of the Ukrainians and about 39% of the Russians. Like Donetsk, due to years of war, Luhansk statistics show that the permanent population by May 1, 2022 will be about 1.39 million.
Luhansk city was founded in 1795-1796 and was originally a settlement of the Luhansk foundry, which was built according to the laws of the Russian Empress Ekaterina II . The foundry was built to provide guns and ammunition to the Russian Black Sea fleet and coastal fortresses. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many large factories were built in the city. During the Soviet period, Luhansk became a major industrial center. Local fuel and energy complexes are also very important. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Luhansk Oblast became a part of Ukraine.
In 2014, protests began to appear in the Luhansk region due to dissatisfaction with the new Ukrainian leadership who came to power due to the coup. This protest turned into a war after the announcement of the use of the army in April to carry out a "massive counter-terrorism operation." On May 12, Luhansk declared independence.
Zaboroze
Zaboroze Oblast is located in the southeast of Ukraine, bordering the Sea of Azov, bordering Khlsson, Dnepropetrovsk and Donetsk. The area is about 27,200 square kilometers. There are more than 1.6 million residents, of which Ukrainians account for about 71% and Russians account for about 25%.
The history of the city of Zaporoze began in the 18th century and was also the trophy of the Russian-Turkish war. During the Soviet Union, Zaporoze became one of the largest ferrous metals and non-ferrous metals metals and energy centers in the Soviet Union. Since 1991, Zaporoze is a state in the Ukrainian region. The state is the flagship of Ukraine's electricity industry, with about 25% of the country's electricity being produced here. This is also an important commercial grain base in Ukraine.
Khlsong
Khlsong is located in southern Ukraine, and the Dnieper River flows into the Black Sea from east to west in the state, and the south borders Crimea . It has an area of about 28,500 square kilometers and a population of about 1 million, making it one of the sparsely populated areas in Ukraine. There are more than 1 million residents, of which about 82% are Ukrainians and about 14% are Russians.
Khlsson once belonged to Ottoman Turkish Empire in history. During the Russian-Turkish War from 1735 to 1739, he was occupied by Tsarist Russian . In order to commemorate the ancient Greek city of Khersonnes, the Tsar established the city of Kherson.
Before the October Revolution , Kherson was mainly an agricultural area, and the industry was mainly processed with agricultural product raw materials. During the Soviet period, machinery manufacturing, oil refining, light industry and food industries were all developed here. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Khlsong Oblast became part of Ukraine, which is the largest agricultural state in Ukraine and is known as the "fruit basket" in Ukraine.
