The governor of the Lugansk region of Ukraine pointed out that “the referendum on joining Russia is aimed at justifying the announcement of general mobilization by Moscow,” and considered that “the referendum on joining Russia will not change reality, and the liberation of our lands is inevitable.”

Earlier in the day, separatist leader of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” Denis Pushilin released a video clip in which he appears to be talking to leader of the self-proclaimed “Luhansk People’s Republic” Leonid Pasichnyk. in which he asked for the joint preparation and approval of a referendum on the accession of the two republics to the Russian Federation, according to the Russian news agency Sputnik.

Pushilin suggested to Pasechnik that the administrations of the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, the People’s Assemblies of the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics and the People’s Assemblies join forces to work out measures to start preparations for the referendum. .

Pushlin noted that after receiving an appeal from the Public Chamber of the DPR, he instructed the country’s institutions to jointly study the issue of holding a referendum.

On Monday, the head of the Public Chamber of the DPR, Alexander Kaufman, said that the chamber had sent a request to President Denis Pushilin to immediately organize a nationwide poll on joining Russia.