Sergei Kiriyenko, a Kremlin official, said on Sunday that recent polls in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk — known together as Donbas — indicate that 91 to 92 percent of the population favors joining the Russian Federation.
The Russian government appears to be laying the groundwork for holding referendums to annex occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.
Sergei Kiriyenko, a Kremlin official, said on Sunday that recent polls in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk — known together as Donbas — indicate that 91 to 92 percent of the population favors joining the Russian Federation.
In Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, which Russian troops took over after the outbreak of war on February 24, the figures range from 75 to 77 percent, according to Mr. Kiriyenko.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that if the population of parts of Ukraine wants to join Russia, the Kremlin will respond.
However, the Russian military is not yet in full control of the sectors the Kremlin has hinted it intends to annex. Ukrainian troops continue to operate in areas of Donetsk. Moreover, Kyiv has declared that it is preparing to launch a counterattack to recover Kherson.
The validity of the information provided by Mr. Kiriyenko is disputed. Recently, the Medusa news website reported that the population of the areas the Kremlin is hinting at annexing is split, with 30% in favor, 30% against, and the remaining residents not expressing an opinion.
RES-EMP
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