Ukraine to keep liberating its territories despite ‘sham referendums’: Top diplomat

By Davit Kachkachishvili

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) - Ukraine will keep liberating its territories despite “sham referendums” announced by Russian-backed representatives, the Ukrainian foreign minister said on Tuesday.

“Sham ‘referendums’ will not change anything. Neither will any hybrid ‘mobilization’. Russia has been and remains an aggressor illegally occupying parts of Ukrainian land,” Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter.

“Ukraine has every right to liberate its territories and will keep liberating them whatever Russia has to say,” Kuleba said.

Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the Ukrainian Presidency, also condemned the decision.

“Naive blackmail with threats and horror stories of ‘referendums,’ ‘mobilizations’ from those who know how to fight only with children and peaceful people … This is what the fear of defeat looks like,” Yermak said on telegram.

Russian-backed representatives of at least four regions in Ukraine have said they will hold a referendum on joining Russia in the coming days.

Ukraine's Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions will hold referendums on joining Russia on Sept. 23-27, Russian-backed representatives of the regions said.

Commenting on the announcements, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said: “Donbas people want to be masters of their own destiny.”

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.