Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv condemns Russian ‘illusion’ referendums as Ukrainians coerced into voting

UKRAINIANS across Russian occupied territory are being told to participate in a “fake” referendum under “gun barrels”. The Russian military are forcing Ukrainians living in Zapporizhzhia, Luhansk, Donetsk and Kherson into an “illusion” of democratic votes. The governor of Donetsk, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said the people left are “cheated and scared” of the Russians, while the rest “voted with their feet” by fleeing the region Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said the referendums “looked more like an opinion survey under the gun barrels,” reported CNBC. Russian gunmen have been filmed pounding on the doors of Ukrainian homes, forcing them to come out and vote or face being killed, The Telegraph reported. Read our Ukraine-Russia live blog below for the latest udpates…