Russia is calling on Ukraine to stop combat and renew negotiations. However, “the choice that the people of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson have made” is not subject to discussion, Vladimir Putin says.
“We urge the Kyiv regime to cease their fire, stop the war it started in 2014, and renew negotiations. We are ready for negotiations, we said this many times. However, the choice that the people of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson have made is not subject to discussion. Russia will not betray this choice,” Putin said during his address in the Kremlin.
Ukraine’s authorities must respect this choice, Putin believes. “Russia will do its best to ensure the security of the people who live there. This is the great liberatory mission of our folk,” he said, adding that all destroyed cities and settlements on those territories would be rebuilt.
The occupation “governments” of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics” (“DPR” and “LPR”), as well as the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine, published the final results of the “referendums” on joining Russia on 28 September.
The “DPR” stated that with 100% of the ballots counted, 99.23% voted in favour of joining Russia. The voter turnout reached 97.51%. The “LPR” stated that 98.42% voted in favour of joining Russia with a 92.6% turnout.
The pro-Russian “officials” of the occupied area of the Zaporizhzhia region announced that 93.11% voted in favour with an 82.40% turnout. The Kherson regional “government” reported that 87.05% had voted in favour, with the turnout reaching 76.86%.
