The leaders appointed by Russia in the occupied areas of Luhansk, Donetsk and Kherson have decided on Tuesday to start the formal processes for them to be annexed by Russia.

Citizens in all three regions must vote already this weekend, it says.

- After the referendum, I will personally turn to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, in order to complete this from a legal point of view as soon as possible, says Volodymyr Saldo, whom Russia has appointed as the highest political leader in occupied Kherson, the Russian the Interfax news agency.

Russia took control of the city and parts of the region around Kherson already in early March.

Since then, the occupying power has repainted signs, changed currency to rubles and issued Russian passports.

Like in Crimea

During the course of the war, there has been speculation as to whether and when Russia will stage so-called referendums that can be assumed to follow the same pattern as the one held on the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

They were rigged in Russia's favor, with the aim of giving the appearance that a seizure of power contrary to international law is legitimate.

Ukraine's army has advanced in the south and recaptured several towns in Kherson, but also in Luhansk, which has been completely under Russian control since last summer.

The regions of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya are only partially occupied, but even there decisions have been made to bring the areas towards Russia.

- The sooner we become part of Russia, the sooner there will be peace, says the chairman of a group that has gathered to express support for a Russian annexation in Zaporizhzhya, according to the Russian state news agency Interfax.

Belongs in Moscow

The American think tank Institute for the study of war (ISW) interprets the data as a certain panic on the Russian side and points out in its Tuesday report on the war that Russia does not even have control over the regions in question.

An analysis shared by FOI's Russia expert Gudrun Persson, who also sees another purpose:

- If they have such sham votes to join the Russian Federation, then the offensive will be an attack on Russia.

It is hoped that this will somehow put an end to the Ukrainian offensive.

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