LPR, Kherson to hold referendum to join Russia from September 23-27

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The People’s Council of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) will hold the referendum on joining Russia from September 23 to 27, the council’s chairman, Denis Miroshnichenko, confirmed on Tuesday.

"The referendum on the entry of the Lugansk People's Republic into the Russian Federation as a constituent entity of the Russian Federation will be held from September 23 to 27, Denis Miroshnichenko, chairman of the People's Council of the LPR, said," the LPR government wrote on its Telegram channel.

Earlier this week, the Public Chamber of the LPR came out with an initiative to hold a referendum on the accession of the republic to Russia immediately.

The LPR Public Chamber considered in a statement that the republic’s accession to Russia will ensure its security and open up new possibilities for the post-war revival.

"We think it is high time to pass a strong-willed decision to hold a referendum in the Lugansk People's Republic immediately," the statement added, noting that the people of the LPR would widely support the accession to Russia and consider it a "triumph of historic justice."

"Moreover, it will ensure the security of the republic’s territory, open up new possibilities on a path of the revival and restoration of the strength of our land, its return to a peaceful life."

Kherson Region to hold referendum on joining Russia on September 23-27

Simultaneously, the Kherson region will hold a referendum on joining Russia on September 23-27, the regional head, Vladimir Saldo, announced on Tuesday.

"I announce that in accordance with the decree, a referendum will be held on September 23-27, 2022. The decree determines the vote procedure and organization of referendum on the territory of the Kherson region and also establishes administrative and criminal liability for violation of these rules," Saldo wrote on Telegram.

He also called for assistance from Russia and other countries in holding the referendum.

Earlier, the civic chamber of the Kherson region asked Saldo to promptly hold a referendum on joining Russia, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

It is worth noting that since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Russian military took control of the Azov part of Zaparozhye and Kherson, liberating large cities, such as Kherson, Melitopol, and Berdiansk, as well as cutting off Kiev from the Sea of Azov.

Kherson and Zaparozhye had new administrations formed in them, with Russian TV channels and radio stations broadcasting there and trade and transport ties with Crimea being restored. Both regions have announced plans to become part of Russia.

In July, Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the Kherson region’s military-civilian administration, underlined in a video published on his Telegram channel that "the Kherson Region will forget about neo-Nazism already in the near future. We are getting ready for the referendum, we will hold it."

"I hope that in the near future already we will become a full-fledged territorial entity of the Russian Federation," he added.

Similarly, Berdiansk mayor Alexander Saulenko had told reporters that a referendum regarding the status of Zaparozhye and Berdiansk, both of which have been liberated by the Russian armed forces, is set to be held in September. However, the exact date will be disclosed at a later time.