Heavy Turnout in Referenda To Join Russia

Sept. 26, 2022 (EIRNS)—After four days of voting, with one to go, voter turnout in the four regions voting to join Russia is well above the requisite 50% level needed to be considered a valid referendum. The official numbers are as follows, as of late tonight:

• L.P.R.—83.61%

• D.P.R.—86.89%

• Zaporozhye—66.43%

• Kherson—63.58%

The heavy turnout comes despite repeated attempts by the forces of the Kiev regime to disrupt the vote with artillery, rockets and drones.

Although there are no reports yet of the percentage voting for joining Russia, it is expected to be very high, as it was in the case of Crimea in 2014. Accession of the four regions into Russia could happen as soon as Sept. 30, once the vote count is confirmed, according to comments made by Russian State Duma Deputy Yaroslav Nilov, deputy head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), TASS reported. “Taking into account the preliminary results of the referendums and Russia’s readiness to acknowledge them, the accession of the territories [the D.P.R., the L.P.R., the Kherson and the Zaporozhye Regions to Russia] is likely to take place as early as on Sept. 30.” The daily Izvestia reports that there are more than 5 million people in the four regions. That compares to about 2.5 million in Crimea.