Ukraine war: Russia claims win in occupied Ukraine ‘sham’ referendums

BBC News:

Four so-called referendums have ended in Russian-held regions of Ukraine – votes which Moscow may use as grounds to annex more territory.

Moscow-installed officials in the regions are now claiming almost total support among those who took part in the disputed votes on joining Russia.

The polls were denounced as a sham by Ukraine’s government and its allies.

In the absence of international recognition, the process was not monitored independently.

The votes were held in the breakaway eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Ballots in Russian-occupied parts of the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia were also organised.

Refugees scattered across Russia were also able to vote at dozens of polling stations, including in Crimea, a southern Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. Partial results from voting there indicated huge majorities in favour of joining Russia.

Up to four million people were asked to vote in the war-torn regions, which make up about 15% of Ukraine’s territory.