Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine vote ‘overwhelmingly’ in favor of joining Russia News
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Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine vote ‘overwhelmingly’ in favor of joining Russia

RIA Novosti, a Russian state-owned news agency, Wednesday reported that leaders from the Donetsk (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republics (LPR) were traveling to Moscow to complete the procedure of joining Russia.

The results of the referenda for the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia were:

Donetsk – 99.23% voted in favor of joining Russia

Kherson – 87.05% voted in favor of joining Russia

Luhansk – 98.42 voted in favor of joining Russia

Zaporizhzhia – 93.11% voted in favor of joining Russia.

Denis Pushilin, the most senior “elected official” of the DPR called the results “a common victory.” Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev welcomed the new nations on his Telegram account.

The West is unlikely to recognize the votes, which have been called “sham referenda” by the US and “illegal” by the EU. Tensions between the West and Russia were recently escalated when the Nord Stream, a pair of natural gas pipelines through Europe, was damaged. The EU stated the damage was “the result of a deliberate act” and will be met with a “robust and united response.”

On Tuesday, the US Embassy in Moscow, Russia warned US citizens to leave Russia immediately. The embassy cited concerns over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent mobilization order. The embassy warned that Russia may not recognize US dual citizenship and conscript US citizens in the Russian armed forces.

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