Posted on 09/22/2022 11:21:30 AM PDT by marcusmaximus
Russia had already declared its intent in spring, and is now going ahead with plans to annex the territories it has occupied in the south and east of Ukraine on a fast-track basis. Simultaneous votes in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions have been scheduled from September 23 to September 27. In a speech on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Moscow would recognize the results.
Just as it did with the Crimean annexation in 2014, Russia is making a point of appearing not to be involved. It was local Ukrainian politicians supported by the Russian military who announced the so-called "referendums." As in the case of Crimea eight years ago, the vote has been brought forward from a previously suggested date — that of November 4. Regional referendums are banned in Ukraine. Like in Crimea, there will be no independent election monitoring.
Yes' or 'no'
However, that is as far as the similarities go — there are far more differences.
Russian media are reporting that there will be regional differences. In Donetsk and Luhansk, the ballot will pose a single question, to be answered with a "yes" or a "no," on whether to join the Russian Federation.
In Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, three questions will be asked but only one "yes" or "no" answer will be possible: "Are you for secession from Ukraine, establishing an independent country and joining the Russian Federation?"
Voting will also take place in Russia, where hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have fled since 2014. The majority of Ukrainian refugees, however — several million — have fled to regions controlled by Kyiv and abroad.
(Excerpt) Read more at dw.com ...
81 second summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQqd2U9S5vU
Training and equipment courtesy of NATO. Left alone this would have been over in a few weeks. NATO is happy to encourage the Ukes to keep dying, however.
Ridiculous map
—
So make a better one.
Name one.
That’s true. And that’s OK. Russia needs to be stopped, and with modern weaponry in the hands of a very determined force, they will be.
And no, NATO is not “happy to encourage the Ukes to keep dying.” Were that the case, they’d have stood aside and let them be overrun. Instead, the Russians will be ground down in a protracted conflict and Putin and his crowd will pay the price.
Look at your post on ethnicities. Just because someone has a Russian last name and speaks Russian does not mean that they are not a patriotic Ukrainian. You seem to think that the “separatist” movement just sprang up by itself with no help from Russia. Now that so much of the population in the Donbas is displaced and the gun is to everyone else’s head, you seem to think a referendum will be just fine. You want to reward Russian genocide against Ukrainians by saying “See there are not many Ukrainians left”.
"Voters in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Crimea who vote in the March 16 referendum have two choices – join Russia immediately or declare independence and then join Russia."This is all internal Russian politics, at Ukraine's expense. The referdums in 2014 were sham, the options were join Russia now or join Russia later. Not joining was not a option. These referendums in Russian occupied territories are just as rigged.
Before Russia invaded this was understood. Now that Russia has invaded, and the world stopped since Biden took over, Russia is a pure as snow and the 2014 Crimea Referndum was a model election. /s
you TROLLS do try to twist things
shame on you for the propaganda and your dishonesty
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/can-america-afford-to-lead-the-world/
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/holding-ground-losing-war/
These authors were employed under Trump and Reagan.
I’ve got a lot of time for Gorgeous George but he did make one error in his talk.
He said Zaporizhzhia will vote to become part of Russia.
How?!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_occupation_of_Zaporizhzhia_Oblast
Zaporizhzhia is in the northern third of the Oblast that remains under Ukrainian control.
And its current population is greater than ALL the larger Russian controlled cities and towns COMBINED.
The Russians are going door to door in THEIR part of the Oblast only. They’re also opening voting stations in Russia, Kherson and LDNR.
But nobody in the Ukrainian controlled areas is getting a vote. TASS explains it.
https://tass.com/politics/1511249
https://tass.com/politics/1511793
30% of the Oblast remains under Ukrainian control. Not one person there gets a ballot paper.
You don’t have to be a mathematician to see that even an 80% turnout in the Russian held areas that was 80% pro Russia would translate to 44.8% in favor of Russian annexation of the settled population of the Oblast.
If the Ukrainian side vetoes the referendum the result would go Russia’s way - but like the Brexit referendum it’d be a minority endorsement. Yes?
If they are DENIED their legitimate right to vote because of where they are, though, the referendum will be completely discredited. If they’re actively prevented from voting yes OR no, that’s a stolen referendum.
Gorgeous George knows this. Like you, he just ignores the steal.
And that’s quite surprising. Galloway argued that the elections that denied Russian votes were illegitimate. He argued that the electoral shenanigans in England were “banana republic” level. He even condemned the electoral fraud against Trump.
He has been a steadfast opponent of stolen elections for over 20 years... And an uncritical supporter of Russia. These two positions are now incompatible.
He should be qualifying his endorsement of the referendum in Zaporizhzhia... It’s only going to be a free, fair and legitimate result if the citizens of Zaporizhzhia are INVITED to vote.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2014/05/09/videos-and-photos-of-the-odessan-massacre/
Watch some videos of the great Ukrainian citizens killing pro Russian protesters.
Yet, another Moscow talking point.
Russia was not behind this massacre. We were. Or Obama was.
pro-Euromaidan activists, who are opponents of the old government in Kiev, which they overthrew, and supporters of the fight against pro-Russian separatists in the east who would like to carve out a new Moscow allied territory that includes this city. Six Euromaidan activists were killed on Odessa streets that day. Their memorial was in a different part of Odessa, a few kilometers away on Sobornaya Square.
Before the anniversary, agreements were made among the organizers to avoid revenge and stay away from each other’s memorials. To keep Odessa calm, Kiev deployed over 4,000 well-equipped police and military to Odessa: military trucks, police buses, uniformed men, some coming to Odessa after weeks spent on front lines in the eastern regions, patrolled the streets from early morning, surrounding both Kulikovo Pole and Sobornaya squares.
There have been two elections since 2014. The only residents of Donbas and Crimea that were disenfranchised and prevented from participating in those elections were those that under the military occupation of the Russian backed militias or of the Russian army. Those areas of Donbas that did participate voted overwhelmingly for Zelensky. It is the Russians who are preventing the residents of Donbas and Crimea from participating in the Ukrainian state.
Are you denying that obama, cia caused a coup to overthrow a legitimately elected, monitored and declared good, election of a somewhat pro Russian leader in 2014?
Why do you think that?
A card carrying pinko like George Galloway is the gold standard for conservatives? Now I’ve seen everything. LMAO.
It’s hilarious to see Putinists attack Ukraine while supporting Dear Leader Vlad’s one party state fascist Russia. Putin has been jailing and murdering his political opponents for 20+ years and they couldn’t care less.
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