From
yesterday’s referendum in Donetsk and Luhank Oblasts (regions), journalists
have registered cases when ‘polling stations’ were opened at markets just by
putting up a tent. The voting process was conducted in violation of standard
procedures, for example, forms being filled in without showing any documents.
This meant that persons could cast votes for a few people at once.
Separatist leader Roman Liahin, who is
responsible for counting votes, said that the referendum should decide only the
question about the right to self-determination within the region: ‘We just want to express our right to
self-determination. This means that after the announcement of the results of
referendum, absolutely nothing will change in the status of Donetsk Oblast: we
will not stop being a part of Ukraine, we will not become a part of Russia, we
will only state to the world that we want changes.’ It seems that there is
little consensus among separatist leaders and followers as to what, exactly,
they hope to gain.
A parallel referendum was held in which residents
could express their position on joining their local communities to the Dnipropetrovsk
Oblast, where, in contrast to the neighbouring Donetsk Oblast, there is no hint
of separatism.
This accession of some towns and cities of Donetsk
and Luhansk oblasts to the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast was organized (by Kolomoysky,
the governor of Dnipropetrovsk) not simply to point out the absurdity of the
separatist referendums. This is a tool for creating a certain buffer zone on
the territories in the east that have not yet been seized by separatism.
News today has been dominated
by revelations that suggest Rinat Akhmetov has decided to become the master of
the new Donetsk republic no matter if it becomes a new Transnistria or some
other semi-independent entity that formally remains in a federalized Ukraine.
In either case, Akhmetov maintains close ties (dependence?) on the Kremlin.
The separatist leader, Pavlo Gubarev, told
Russian media today that Akhmetov bribed separatists in Donetsk. This was
denied by the Party of Regions, but suggests an effort by the separatists (and
Moscow) to create discordance between the oligarchs who fund and rule over the
Oblasts in Eastern Ukraine.
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