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On the third day of the pseudo-referendum, residents of the temporarily occupied Kherson and the region sit at home and do not open the doors to the Russian occupiers, who, at gunpoint, force people to vote for joining the Russian Federation. This was announced on the air of the FREEDOM TV channel by the head of the Kherson city military administration (HVA) Galina Lugova.
“People have locked themselves in their homes, trying to hide and not go to the so-called “referendum”. At the same time, groups of invaders walk the streets of the city. Ahead is a woman with “ballot papers”, followed by an escort of armed invaders. This is how they get people to “vote”. They knock on apartments, in the private sector they knock on the gates, and they try to get people to “vote”. This does not always work for the invaders. Most of the locals are locked up in their houses,” – says Lugova.
People do not go to the “referendum” massively, even despite the threats.
“People are seriously suffering psychologically, crying from the pressure that the Russians put on them. If they [Kherson residents] refuse to vote for Russia, they threaten them, they say that they will be thrown into the basement. People are afraid,”- she says.
In connection with the refusal of the majority of the local population to participate in the “referendum”, the occupying authorities changed their tactics on the third day: now they are forcing passers-by to vote as well.
“They began to visit the houses and apartments of Kherson residents less and installed boxes for “ballots” in different parts of the city. They grab everyone in a row and demand to put a “plus” for joining the Russian Federation. People run away, resist, shout that they have already “voted”. In response, they hear: “What’s the difference? Vote again,” – Lugova admitted.
The head of the Kherson city military administration claims that residents of temporarily occupied Kherson and the region are looking forward to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the de-occupation of the region.
“The people of Kherson want to live under the Ukrainian sky. The resistance movement “Yellow Ribbon”, a partisan movement, operates in the city. People are trying to help the Ukrainian troops in every way, giving signals that Kherson is Ukraine, ”- summed up Galina Lugovaya.
On September 23-27, in the temporarily occupied settlements of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions, an illegal vote on joining the Russian Federation is being held.
On the first day of the so-called “referendum,” the occupying authorities in Kherson filled the polling stations with extras and filmed propaganda videos for broadcast on Russian TV channels. The next day, there were no extras, they returned to the territory of the Russian Federation and the occupied Crimea.
Read also: Operational information on Russian invasion (September 25)
