Putin is considering holding "referendums" in Donbas in August - Russian media

OLENA ROSHCHINA - TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2022, 11:50

The Presidential Administration of Russia wants the accomplices of the occupiers in eastern Ukraine to be ready to hold illegal "referendums" before August, writes the Russian newspaper Kommersant ["Коммерсантъ" ("Ъ")].

Source: Kommersant ["Коммерсантъ" ("Ъ")]

Quote: "RBK [media company] previously reported that preliminary preparations for the referendum are underway on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic and according to the basic scenario, they are supposed to be held simultaneously.

According to sources, the internal political bloc of the presidential administration is determined to be ready to hold referendums by August.

This is indirectly confirmed by the words of the interlocutor of Kommersant ["Ъ"] in political technology circles: according to him, specialists who are ready to work in the territories of the "Luhansk People's Republic" and "Donetsk People's Republic" are currently being recruited, although the details of the upcoming work are not disclosed."

Details: A Kommersant source notes that at least a month should pass from the moment technologists start working to the referendum – if it really takes place.

According to him, the Kremlin is unlikely to want to combine "plebiscites" with a single voting day on September 11, as this may give events "unnecessary significance".

At the end of this week, the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation will hold a seminar in Rostov-on-Don, which will be attended by representatives of ORDLO, who allegedly asked "to help restore their electoral systems."

A Kommersant ["Ъ"] source close to the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation says that the so – called "Luhansk People's Republic" and "Donetsk People's Republic" are recruiting for "election commissions" - and their members should be trained.

However, this will happen on the territory of Occupied territories of Ukraine and it is unlikely that representatives of the Russian Central Election Commission will deal with this, the source adds.

The publication cites the expert's opinion that the so-called "referendum" may not be necessary. They say that the initiator of joining the Russian Federation under Russian law is a foreign state, and Donetsk and Luhansk allegedly voted for "independence" in May 2014 – and Vladimir Putin "recognized" it on February 21, 2022 (while encroaching on the entire territory of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions).

Reminder: Ukraine and the civilized world did not recognize the "referendums" held by the invaders in 2014, and they are also not going to recognize the annexation and occupation of New Territories of Ukraine by Russia.

As of July 5, the Russian army controls almost the entire territory of the Luhansk Oblast and less than half of the Donetsk Oblast. The invaders also captured a significant part of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblasts of Ukraine.