DISINFO: Kremlin’s referenda in Ukraine are only intermediate on the way to de-Nazification
SUMMARY
From the point of view of the special operation’s goals which is the de-Nazification and demilitarisation of Ukraine, referenda in Ukrainian regions are an intermediate stage. There is no doubt that official results are trustful. Following the announcement of the new territories as parts of Russia, a quick advancement to Odesa thanks to the newly mobilised Russian soldiers can take place.
RESPONSE
This is recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Nazi Ukraine, presented as justification for Russian military aggression against Ukraine and annexation of Ukraine’s territories. Ukraine is not a Nazi state, does not have a Nazi ruling elite and Nazism is not Ukraine’s ideology. Read a more detailed debunk here, as well as our analysis titled "Why does Putin portray himself as the tamer of neo-Nazism".
The occupation administrations of the territories in Donbas, Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts claimed that these regions will join the Russian Federation and that the decision will be taken by a referendum organised by the occupying administration. In these so called "referenda", voters were coerced into voting with armed soldiers going door to door to collect votes. Individuals were not allowed to vote, as there is only one vote allowed per household. Voters did not need any form of identification in order to cast a vote.
Such referenda are considered illegitimate by Ukrainian and international law. Article 4 of the UN Charter reads:
"All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations."
UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned Russia annexation plans saying, “The Charter is clear. Any annexation of a State’s territory by another State resulting from the threat or use of force is a violation of the Principles of the UN Charter and international law… Any decision to proceed with the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned”.
The EU High Representative Josep Borrell already condemned the decision to held a referendum, stating that the EU won't recognise it. “These illegal ‘votes’ cannot be considered under any circumstance as the free expression of the will of the people living in these regions under constant Russian military threat and intimidation,” EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said in a statement. In 2014, the EU established sanctions against Russia condemning Kremlin's decision to stage an illegal referendum on occupied peninsula.
Read similar cases claiming that Crimea joined Russia after the bloody US-coup in Ukraine, that Crimea joined Russia in a 2014 referendum, and that Kherson residents want to join Russia, not Ukraine.
Technical remark: This disinformation was broadcast via Sputnik on 28 September 2022. Due to the EU decision to restrict the spread and dissemination of RT and Sputnik inside the EU, access to the link may not work inside the EU.