Voting began early in the day in several regions where authorities aligned with Moscow have organized ballots to decide future ties with Russia. Polling started at 8:00 am local time, which corresponds to 7:00 am in mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, and is planned to run through the afternoon until 4:00 pm, with the process expected to span the coming days and culminate on September 27. Ballot boxes have also been opened in numerous cities to allow refugees to cast their votes outside their places of residence.
In pro-Russian administered areas such as Kherson, officials project turnout to reach around 750,000 voters. In nearby Zaporizhzhia, census figures cited by the Russian news agency TASS indicate about 500,000 registered participants. In both cases, voters are asked whether they favor securing the region’s separation from Ukraine, establishing an independent state, and aligning with Russia.
Meanwhile, in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republics, residents who had their independence recognized by President Vladimir Putin before the invasion are faced with a similar choice: whether to support the entry of their republics into the Russian Federation as constituent entities.
Addressing the nation, in a speech that cited a call for a “partial mobilization” of the population for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Putin announced that Moscow would recognize the referendum results. He stated that every possible effort would be made to ensure secure conditions for holding the votes and for people to express their will.
EU and NATO opposition
Officials in Brussels and the alliance’s capitals signaled strong resistance to the moves, expressing that the final outcomes must be determined by the majority in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, along with the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. The Russian president warned that Russia could respond to any threat to its territorial integrity, including actions involving nuclear weapons, by using any means necessary.
In response, Viacheslav Volodin, head of the Russian State Duma, urged residents in these areas to vote freely and without fear. He conveyed a message on his Telegram channel asking them to decide to join Russia, asserting that the people there have the right to self-determination enshrined in the United Nations Charter and expressing Russia’s commitment to supporting that choice.
The European Union has warned of potential consequences for regional actions and reiterated its stance that it does not recognize the referendums. Officials emphasized that the decisions carried out in these regions would be viewed through the lens of international law and urged all parties to avoid actions that could destabilize the area further.
The Ukrainian Parliament has moved to declare inadmissible the accession referendums proposed by the pro-Russian authorities in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. A historical parallel is drawn with the 2014 Crimea referendum, which led to Russia’s annexation of the peninsula, a move not recognized by the broader international community.
Throughout the day, NATO reiterated that it would not recognize the results of these votes, arguing that they lacked legitimacy and violated the United Nations Charter. The alliance issued a formal statement urging all states to reject what it called “regional conquest” attempts by Moscow and to affirm that the four regions remain Ukrainian in status, regardless of any local referendums conducted under these circumstances. The positions of the alliance and the EU reflect a broader international effort to preserve the current borders and support Ukraine’s territorial integrity while avoiding any escalation that could trigger wider conflict.