Russian Federation Council says that "referendums" on the accession of some parts of Ukraine to Russia will be held within a year

IRYNA BALACHUK — WEDNESDAY, 1 JUNE 2022, 12:19 PM

Sergei Tsekov, the so-called Senator for Crimea in the Russian Federation Council, said that the so-called referendums on the accession of Donbas, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts to Russia may be held within a year.

Source: Russian propaganda publication "RIA Novosti"

Quote from Tsekov: "I absolutely agree that these regions should be with Russia. I think everything can happen on a much larger scale (than Donbas, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts – ed.).

I think that all the territories controlled by Russia have a very high chance of reuniting with the Russian Federation. These are Russian territories."

Details: In his opinion, the process of holding referendums in Donbas, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts on "joining" Russia will be "quite fast, within a year."

Tsekov also believes that Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donbas will be able to finance their own recovery, since "these are budget-generating regions, donor regions", from which, allegedly, "Western Ukraine sucked everything out".

The senator-collaborator also stated that they cannot "abandon the residents of cities such as Kharkiv and Izium, and thus enable the nationalists to come and start torturing the residents."

For reference: Sergei Tsekov is a Ukrainian collaborator with Russia, a former Ukrainian and now Russian politician and senator. He was the first member of the Russian Federation Council representing the occupation authorities of Crimea since 24 September 2014.

In 2014, Russia annexed Ukrainian Crimea on the basis of a so-called "referendum".

Previously: On 29 May, the so-called authorities of the Kherson civil-military administration appointed by the invaders announced that they were going to "annex" Kherson Oblast to Russia next year, and that to do this, it will probably be necessary to hold a "referendum" after all.

Background: 

• In early May, Andrey Turchak, Secretary of the General Council of Putin's "United Russia" party visited Kherson and said that "Russia is here forever." 

• Later, the so-called authorities of the Kherson civil-military administration, appointed by the invaders, said that they would ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to include Kherson Oblast in the Russian Federation.

• Putin's press secretary said that the Kherson region should join the Russian Federation "as legitimately as Crimea."

• On 16 May, the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration reported that the occupiers had been instructed to prepare the captured city of Enerhodar for a "referendum".

• On May 19, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for the Russian President, said that nothing could be done with these territories without the will of the residents of the occupied territories of Ukraine.

• On May 20, Andrey Klishas, the Head of the Federation Council's Committee on Constitutional Legislation, said that residents of all Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, not just those living in Donbas, have the right to decide whether to continue to stay with Russia.