The President of Ukraine, Volodymir Zelensky, accused Russia of planning to falsify an independence referendum in the partially occupied southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
In a video message Thursday night, Zelensky urged residents of areas under occupation not to provide any personal information, such as their passport numbers, to Russian forces.
“This is not to help them... This is aimed at falsifying the so-called referendum on their land, if an order comes from Moscow to organize such a show,” said the Ukrainian leader. “This is the reality. Be careful,” he added.
Kiev accused Moscow in early March of planning a referendum in Kherson similar to the 2014 Crimean elections, in which an overwhelming number of residents voted to join the Russian federation.
That vote, which took place after Russia took control of the region, was condemned as illegal by the government of Ukraine and the West.
The pro-Russian eastern territories of Donetsk and Luhansk also declared independence after referendums denounced as illegitimate by the international community.
“Any 'Kherson People's Republic' is not going to fly,” Zelensky warned. “If someone wants a new annexation, it can only lead to new and powerful sanctions against Russia.”
Kherson was the first major city to fall to Russian forces after the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
To the north, the Russian army also controls a vast area surrounding the city of Zaporizhzhia, which remains in Ukrainian hands.
The Ukrainian president also declared on Thursday that Russia had rejected a proposal for a truce during this weekend's Orthodox Christian Easter period, but added that he still has hope for peace.
The Orthodox Easter service begins late on Saturday.
The president said that Russian troops have killed a total of 1,126 civilians, at least 40 of them minors, in the Kiev region since the beginning of the war initiated by Russia in late February.
Earlier, in a speech to the Portuguese Parliament, Zelensky emphasized that the horror of the city of Bucha — famous for the killing of civilians when Russian troops abandoned it — can also be witnessed in cities such as Chernigov, Sumi or Kharkov, as well as in other regions where the Russian Armed Forces have been present.
(With information from AFP)
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