There will be people in Germany again, including politicians, who will claim that the "referendums" in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine are legitimate.
But of course the whole thing is a farce.
Putin has invaded another country and, in the midst of the war, as the occupying force, is now having votes scheduled there within a few days, about which there is neither public debate nor impartial oversight (not to mention international observation).
This is a mockery of direct democracy as practiced in enlightened countries and a perversion of peoples' right to self-determination.
There is no reason to consider the "results" of these bogus polls to be legitimate or correct.
Attack on Russia
The fact that the Kremlin spokesman promised a rapid annexation and linked this to the fact that Ukrainian attempts to recapture these areas would be regarded as an attack on Russia shows once again the true background of this operation: Putin wants to secure his previous conquests by shifting the border.
However, no one should believe that the ruler's thirst for land over the largest country in the world can thus be considered to have been satisfied.
The method of piecemeal annexation, which Putin already practiced in Crimea, could be continued indefinitely.
Kyiv and the West don't want it to get that far.
They will not recognize the annexations, that is already becoming apparent.
The question of whether they should accept Putin's new red line militarily is becoming more difficult.
The indication that he has not yet used nuclear weapons is correct, but says little about the future.
The debate about Western arms deliveries is not getting any easier, and the activist part of German foreign policy will also notice that.
The question of whether we accept Russian conscientious objectors is irrelevant.