Ukraine warns that Russia seeks to adhere to the occupied territories with a “pseudo-referendum”

July 21 () –

The Ukrainian authorities have warned this Thursday that Russia is laying the foundations through alleged popular consultations to decide the fate and status of the southern territories temporarily occupied during the war, including Zaporizhia and Kherson.

The Intelligence spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior, Vadim Skibitski, explained that “the occupier is creating the basis for deciding the fate and status of the temporarily occupied territories in the south” and that for this Russia is issuing passports “in a very active”.

Skibitski has pointed out that an attempt by Moscow to speed up the deadlines, the process of obtaining Russian passports for Zaporizhia and Kherson is being managed “easier” than when the same procedure was carried out for Donetsk and Lugansk. “You write an application and you get a passport,” he has said.

“They are preparing for this, they are preparing the international community for the fact that this is, so to speak, help for the Russian-speaking population, for those citizens of Russia who live in the temporarily occupied territories,” he said. .

Skibitski maintains that these consultations are nothing more than a “pseudo-referendum” so that these territories can either join Russia or remain as “pseudo-formations”, such as Donetsk and Lugansk.