Separatist leaders in occupied areas of Ukraine moved to join the Russian Federation — after claiming that the people there had chosen to join Russia, in referendums denounced by the West as a sham.
MOSCOW — Moscow-backed separatist leaders in occupied areas of Ukraine moved quickly to issue formal appeals to join the Russian Federation on Wednesday — just hours afterthere had chosen to join Russia in a series of highly controversial referendums.
In Donetsk, the pro-Russian separatist leader Denis Pushilin praised a"colossal result" that purportedly saw 99.23% of votes in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic back an initiative to join Russia. Pro-Russian officials in the occupied territories of Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia announced similar returns — claiming between 87% to 98% of residents had voted in favor of joining Russia.
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