Lugansk may soon hold a referendum on Russia annexation

TASS news agency quoted Leonid Pasechnik as telling reporters on March 27: “I think that in the near future a referendum will take place in the territory of Lugansk. People will exercise their constitutional rights and express their opinions on joining Russia. For some reason, I’m sure it’s going to be like that.”

The fighting situation in the Donbass region has escalated since February 17. At that time, the representative of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions asked the Russian Government for military support.

Donetsk and Lugansk declared their independence from Ukraine in 2014. Attempts by the Ukrainian military to retake the region by force have failed. After that, the parties ceased fire according to the agreements signed in Minsk, Belarus.

Russia has long refused to recognize the two republics, considering the conflict an internal Ukraine matter. However, on February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine had openly failed to comply with the Minsk agreements and that he had signed a decree recognizing sovereignty for Donetsk and Lugansk. Not only recognizing independence, Putin also signed treaties of friendship, cooperation and support for the two self-proclaimed countries.

Next, in a televised address on February 24, President Putin said that in response to the request of the leaders of the Donbass region, he decided to launch a special military operation in eastern Ukraine. The Russian government insists that Moscow has no plans to occupy the territories of Ukraine.