Russian-backed Ukrainian rebel region may vote to join Russia - SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.

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The Russian-backed eastern Ukrainian rebel region of Luhansk said on Sunday it may hold a referendum on joining Russia, drawing a warning from Kyiv that any such vote would have no legal basis and trigger a stronger international response.

Three days before ordering the February 24 invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin recognised the Ukrainian rebel regions of Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states, though the rest of the world considers them part of Ukraine.fighting for its existence against what it casts as an imperial-style land grab

“The people will exercise their ultimate constitutional right and express their opinion on joining the Russian Federation.” Putin says what he casts as a “special military operation” was needed to defend Russia against the United States which he said was arming Ukraine and developing it into an “anti-Russia” with the aim of admitting it into the NATO military alliance.

After Russian forces in 2014 took control of Crimea – first annexed by Russia in 1783 – a referendum on joining Russia was held. Voters chose overwhelmingly to join Russia. Ukraine said the referendum was illegal and that Crimea is part of Ukraine. “It is tanks for our state. It is missile defence. It is anti-ship weapons. That is what our partners have, that is what is just gathering dust there,” he said in his now customary late-night video address on Saturday.Ukraine needs just 1% of NATO’s aircraft and 1% of its tanks, he said, adding that it would be impossible to stop Russian attacks on the besieged southern port of Mariupol without enough tanks, armoured vehicles and aircraft.

Zelenskiy said Poland and the United States had both stated their readiness to make a decision on the planes. But Washington rejected a surprise offer by Poland to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to a US base in Germany to be used to replenish Ukraine’sair force.the country’s pilots had trained for years and conducted joint exercises with US pilots precisely because “we understood that there could be such a scenario”.

 

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