Support The Moscow Times!

Russia Ruling Party Proposes Nov. 4 Annexation Votes For Occupied Ukraine

A pontoon ferry operating near Kherson in Russia-occupied Ukraine. TASS

President Vladimir Putin's ruling United Russia party on Wednesday proposed holding referendums on Nov. 4 to annex territories taken by Moscow's forces in Ukraine.

"It would be right and symbolic" to hold the votes on Nov. 4, Russia's Day of National Unity, party secretary general Andrey Turchak said on its website. 

After the votes, he said, "Donetsk, Luhansk and many other Russian cities will finally return to their home port. And the Russian world, now divided by formal borders, will regain its integrity."

"We will prepare for this precise date... even if we are ready for this referendum to take place right now," a senior pro-Russian official in the Kherson region, Kirill Stremousov, told Russian news agency TASS following the announcement.

Putin recognised the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine as independent days before launching Russia's military offensive on February 24. 

The Russian army has since taken control of several southern areas of Ukraine including Kherson. 

Moscow-installed authorities have for several weeks been discussing referendum plans to bring the occupied territories into Russia, as happened with the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Moscow is also pressing ahead with a campaign to bring the territories closer to Russia, for example by giving out Russian passports to local residents.

On Monday, Stremousov had hinted at delays in referendum plans amid a Ukrainian counter-offensive to retake Kherson.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more