Voting in sham referendums began in four mostly or partially occupied provinces in eastern and southern Ukraine – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson – on the morning of 23 September. Many of the Kremlin’s favorite tricks have been rolled out. In the city of Kherson, authorities placed an unmarked ballot box in a central square, accompanied by two carabinieri urging citizens to vote. Elsewhere in the city, election officials went door to door with riot police. The “vote” was recorded on public benches, in shops and even in makeshift booths at police stations better known locally as torture chambers. In Melitopol, doors were kicked down to facilitate the voting process. Locals describe empty streets and minimal excitement. The result is beyond doubt. The “vote count” will “reveal” that the locals would like to be ruled by the invading power, Russia.
The Russian-backed administrations of the four provinces announced plans for five-day plebiscites earlier this week, after months of rumors and counter-rumors. The haste with which they are being held makes it unlikely that the spectacle will even convince Russians of their legitimacy. But Ukrainian forces have made such startling advances on the battlefield in recent weeks that the Kremlin appears to have concluded it must act quickly. When he announces that the provinces have agreed to be annexed by Russia, he can claim that Ukrainian attempts to recover Ukrainian lands are in fact attacks on Russia itself.
Ivan Fedorov, the exiled mayor of Melitopol, in Zaporizhia, claims that Ukraine intended to ignore the “illegitimate” referendums. He adds that he was worried about the safety of Ukrainians living under occupation. Military-age males are particularly vulnerable. Immediately after the sham votes, Russia should intensify the military mobilization of Ukrainians in the occupied territories, forcing them to fight against their compatriots. “Russia wants to conscript these men to turn them into cannon fodder,” he said. Volodymyr Mihalcencov, a 37-year-old man from the occupied town of Enerhodar in Zaporizhia, confirms that Russian soldiers no longer allow men between the ages of 18 and 35 to cross checkpoints into the rest of Ukraine. Luckily for him, he was just old enough to be allowed through.
There is no reliable opinion poll in the occupied territories, not least because most of their citizens have fled. Russian state broadcasting networks released a poll with wild claims of 80-90% support for annexation. The final result, which will likely be announced on September 27, will likely be crafted close to those numbers. Mr Fedorov says internal Russian polls, which he says were leaked to him, show less than 10% of residents are expected to participate. The Ukrainian government has urged its citizens to avoid the process altogether. Mykhailo Podolyak, a presidential spokesman, said anyone who helps the pseudo-referendums could face criminal charges. “This is an attempt to create a parallel propaganda reality,” he says. “But for Ukraine, nothing changes. We will continue to liberate our territories regardless of Russian fantasies. ■
