BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd September, 2022) NATO countries jointly condemned upcoming referenda in the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics as well as in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, according to a statement, released on Thursday.
"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the plan to hold so-called 'referenda' on joining the Russian Federation in the Ukrainian regions partly controlled by the Russian military. Sham referenda in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions of Ukraine have no legitimacy and will be a blatant violation of the UN Charter," the statement read.
The message also said that NATO allies would not recognize "illegal and illegitimate annexation" of the regions.
On Tuesday, the DPR and LPR, as well as the Russian-controlled parts of the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, said that they would hold referendums on accession to Russia from September 23-27.
The DPR and LPR proclaimed their independence from Ukraine in 2014 after holding self-determination referendums. In February 2022, Russia recognized the DPR and LPR and launched a military operation in Ukraine in response to calls for help from the two breakaway republics.
