'Referendums' on Joining Russia Under Way in Moscow-Held Regions of Ukraine

'Referendums' on Joining Russia Under Way , in Moscow-Held Regions of Ukraine.

AP reports that on Sept.

23, Moscow-occupied areas of Ukraine began voting on referendums imposed by the Kremlin to become part of Russia.

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AP reports that on Sept.

23, Moscow-occupied areas of Ukraine began voting on referendums imposed by the Kremlin to become part of Russia.

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Those areas are Luhansk, Kherson and parts of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk.

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Those areas are Luhansk, Kherson and parts of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk.

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Those areas are Luhansk, Kherson and parts of Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk.

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Ukraine and the West have denounced the referendums as "shams" that hold no legal weight.

Voting will last through Sept.

27.

AP reports that the vote is likely to go Russia's way.

If it does, that would allow Russia to claim that Ukrainian forces' attempts to fight back are attacks on Russia itself.

The votes come days after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial military mobilization to draft more soldiers for his cause.

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Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma, told the occupied regions, "If you decide to become part of the Russian Federation — we will support you.".

Valentina Matviyenko, chair of the Federation Council, said those regions are voting for "life or death."