Observers from the United States and France are monitoring the course of the referendum in the Russian-controlled parts of the Kherson region of Ukraine, spokeswoman of the local election commission, Marina Zakharova, said on Friday
KHERSON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd September, 2022) Observers from the United States and France are monitoring the course of the referendum in the Russian-controlled parts of the Kherson region of Ukraine, spokeswoman of the local election commission, Marina Zakharova, said on Friday.
"Foreign observers have already arrived, they are representatives of two countries - France and the United States. They expressed a desire to travel to remote areas of the Kherson region, and we provided them with such an opportunity. At the moment they are working with our voters," Zakharova told reporters.
On Tuesday, the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (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.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced his support for referenda, causing a backlash from the Western countries. In particular, on Thursday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that the bloc would impose new sanctions on Russia's leadership and people involved in organizing referenda.
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.
