Reacting to the announcement that the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (LPR and DPR) will hold votes on joining Russia later this week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday called them illegitimate and demanded more support for Ukraine from the “international community.”
“Sham referendums have no legitimacy and do not change the nature of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said on Twitter, calling it “a further escalation in [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war.”
“The international community must condemn this blatant violation of international law and step up support for Ukraine,” Stoltenberg added.
The Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (LPR and DPR) will hold a vote for unification with Russia on September 23-27, their leaders said on Tuesday morning. The Russian-held territories of the neighboring Zaporozhye and Kherson regions will also vote starting on Friday.