The votes to join Russia are due to take place in the Russian-held parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia provinces, as well as part of Mykolaiv province beginning Friday. The votes are expected to produce results overwhelmingly endorsing joining Russia. (note: If the votes don't overwhelmingly endorse joining Russia... then the vote totals will be revised until they do.)
Keep in mind that the referendum votes will take place under military occupation without any outside oversight. Also, armed Russian troops will be present at every voting place. Anyone in those Ukrainian provinces who doesn't feel comfortable approaching Russian troops and showing their ID cards... won't be voting.
Russian troops do not fully control any of the four regions it is trying to annex. Only about 60 percent of Donetsk and 66 percent of Zaporizhia are currently held by the Russian army. Referendum votes will obviously NOT be taken in any areas held by the Ukrainian forces, or in areas where fighting is currently taking place... so roughly 40% to 50% of the people in those regions will have NO vote.
Even though the referendum votes won't begin until Friday, I'm surprised that Fox News hasn't already stepped in and declared the winner. :>)
I don't understand why people are still shilling for the Uranian Nazis. These regions are Russians who wish to be part of Russia. The Ukranian Nazis were installed by Obama and have ignored the international treaties they promised to uphold. The Ukranian Nazis have been murdering thousands of these civilians for years now and it is time to stop shilling for Nazis.
ROOTIN 4 POOTIN
I don't shill for Nazis and I'm not pro-Ukraine. I'm also not pro-Russia either. There are good and bad people on both sides of the conflict. I consider myself a realist. In reality...
... an occupying foreign military force holding a "referendum" vote for their nation to annex the entire occupied territory, while the troops only control 60%+/- of the territory to be annexed, and the territory is on the front lines of ongoing daily military battles... is a bit weird.
There isn't any government or organization in the world that will give any credibility to results of that unsupervised election that takes place under the "protection" of armed foreign troops... and for which the voting totals can be manipulated to justify annexing the territory.
Sham-a-lam-a-ding-dong.
It’s the peoples choice but you want to muddy the waters. Just yesterday American provided ammunition was used by the Ukrainian military against civilians. 6 died, including children. Shot in cold blood by Ukrainian snipers while they were enjoying a coffee at a cafe. There are terrorists still in the liberated areas and the military - the DONBASS Militia - are there to protect them as they cast their vote. You’re a Nazi sympathiser, trying to justify crimes committed against those in the Donbass for 8 years after the Ukraine, French and German governments failed to honour the Minsk Agreement. We’re not stupid. Their crimes are well documented and the cries of the 16,000 Russian speaking citizen that died while under the ‘protection’ of Ukraine, have been heard. Putin is providing them protection; something that the Minsk Accord never did. This time Putin will make sure of that.
Annexation means taking by military force.
Voting means consent, not force, therefore it can't be annexation.
The people in the Golan Heights did not get a vote/referendum. Their territory was annexed.