MOSCOW — Voting referenda in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine appear to have been rigged.
CNBC says electoral officials went door-to-door with portable ballot boxes in occupied regions of eastern Ukraine and that the results show a vast majority voting to join Russia. There have been many reports of irregular voting practices in the Russian referendums.
According to Russia-installed election officials, 93% of the ballots cast in the Zaporizhzhia region supported annexation, as did 87% in the Kherson region, 98% in the Luhansk region, and 99% in Donetsk.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said late Tuesday that Washington would propose a U.N. Security Council resolution to condemn Russia’s “sham” vote.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to announce Friday that the occupied regions will be annexed and become part of the Russian Federation.
