In the Moscow region, refugees from the Donbass and from the liberated territories could vote in referendums on the entry of the LPR, DPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions into Russia at 23 polling stations.

An RT correspondent visited one of them - in Shchelkovo - and talked with the inhabitants of Ukraine, who had to leave their homeland due to the shelling and atrocities of the nationalists.

Lyudmila Keidun arrived in Russia from Volnovakha on March 27 with two children: 12-year-old Sophia and six-year-old Martha.

With them, she came to the polling station.

“I voted yes, of course.

It's obvious here.

We have always wanted to be with Russia: both in good times and in difficult ones.

Here are our relatives: an aunt lives in Arkhangelsk, and a sister lives in Krasnodar, ”says Lyudmila.

  • Lyudmila Keidun with her daughters

  • © Dmitry Belitsky

According to the woman, a friend whom they had not seen for 17 years helped her settle in Russia.

“She is from Ivanteevka, her husband inherited an apartment in Shchyolkovo, and they allowed us to live here,” the refugee says.

In Volnovakha, Keidun left her mother, whom she plans to persuade to move to Russia.

Ludmila's husband is now participating in hostilities.

“When he has the opportunity, he calls us.

He says that everything is fine with him, ”the woman says.

"Russia is for us"

Mother of many children Irina Kurus came to Russia from Donetsk with five minor children.

According to her, leaving for the unknown was scary, but staying under shelling was even scarier.

“I voted today to return home.

We used to be a single country with Russia and consider it our home,” says Kurus.

“I have no regrets about coming here.

There, in Donetsk, there is a war, my husband and brother are fighting.

My uncle sent a photo of my parents' house, it is in a terrible state because of the shelling.

Russia is for us, so everything will be fine soon.”

  • Irina Kurus with children

  • © Photo from the personal archive

Svetlana Kislenko lives in a temporary accommodation center (TAC) in the Pushkin city district.

The woman came to Russia with two children.

According to her, she did not hesitate to vote for reunification with Russia.

“We want a simple, quiet human life.

My children were born in wartime and they do not know another life.

My husband's father came under fire and died not because he was hit by a shell, but from a broken heart,” says Kislenko.

“For all these eight years, Russia helped us, and Ukraine didn’t care about us.”

According to the woman, her parents remained in Donetsk, who did not want to leave their home.

“Our house is still whole, but the walls mean nothing to me, my relatives and their health are dear to me.

Parents, of course, do not want me to worry, and they don’t tell me a lot, but I watch the news, and my acquaintances are always in touch.

Therefore, I know that it is scary there, ”says Svetlana.

  • Svetlana Kislenko with her sons

  • © Photo from the personal archive

“We buried a lot of relatives”

Yaroslava Levchenko from Donetsk also voted today to join Russia.

“Ukraine has been shelling us for eight years: houses, cars, garages, killing our relatives.

Therefore, we voted, of course, in the affirmative.

Russia is a great country.

We love her and always speak Russian.

Therefore, we are for Russia, for freedom, for a peace-loving power.

We want to be with Russia.

We do not want any war and we hope that this vote will give something,” she explains.

Levchenko arrived in the Moscow region in June with her two daughters (aged 17 and 8).

Now the family lives in a TAP in the Pushkin city district.

Thanks to the quota for students from Donbass, the eldest daughter was able to enter the university on a budget.

The youngest is in second grade.

Yaroslava recalls relatives who did not have time to leave and died.

“A month ago my godfather was killed in Gorlovka, my godfather was killed two months ago.

We buried a lot of relatives.

We just want peace,” cries a woman whose husband was killed by shelling back in 2014.

  • Yaroslav Levchenko

  • © Dmitry Belitsky

Yulia Kudrina, a mother of many children from Donetsk, also admits that she voted for joining Russia.

“No doubts - only for.

If you vote against, then these eight years of incomprehensible hostilities, thousands of dead civilians and soldiers will simply be in vain, ”says Kudrina.

We made our choice back in 2014.

We voted for the independence of the republic.

Now, we hope this is the last referendum, the last vote, which will definitely return us home, to our homeland.”