The majority of residents of Donetsk and Luhansk regions ignored the so-called mass survey, which extremists called a referendum.
In total, only 10% of the 6.5 million residents of the region participated in the illegal plebiscite, according to sociologists. Residents of Donbas characterize the so-called referendum of extremists as illegitimate, self-proclaimed, and without any oversight from any observers.
Those who voted did so for themselves, for their aunt, and her brother. However, the separatists think otherwise - they claimed that 89% of residents voted for federalization and the hastily created Donetsk republic. This is the figure one of the Moscow curators of the separatists ordered to announce - their negotiations appeared in the press the day before.
Nevertheless, sociologists assert that the demonstrative queues for the survey were artificially created. In a town with a population of a hundred thousand, the separatists opened only a few polling stations, and those wishing to vote were forced to wait. For instance, in Mariupol, only four stations were operational.
The voter lists were written by hand. Roman Lyagin, the leader of the separatists responsible for counting the votes, stated that the future of the so-called Donetsk republic would be decided later. The presidential elections in the region will not take place. During the so-called referendum, everyone willing was allowed to vote, regardless of citizenship.
A German journalist who observed the survey reported that he managed to vote six times. In Avdiivka, Khartsyzk, and Horlivka, armed bandits forced residents to vote for federalization under the threat of burning the factories where the townspeople work. In Avdiivka itself, the local population did not support the pseudo-referendum. Only extremists and a few 'commission members' were present at the polling stations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated that the true sentiments in Donetsk region support a united, indivisible Ukraine. Only 18% of people seek to disconnect from Ukraine. These results were announced the day before by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology and the weekly 'Mirror of the Week'.
The overwhelming majority of Donetsk residents are patriots of their country. However, they cannot freely express their thoughts due to threats to their life and health. Although the Luhansk separatists reported a supposedly high turnout, the acting head of the Luhansk regional administration, Iryna Verihina, claims that the referendum did not take place - people did not want to go out under the barrels of guns.
Several demonstrative polling stations with high turnout were created in the city to be documented by Russian journalists, while all other stations stood empty. In five districts of the region - Svatove, Troitske, Markivka, Bilovodsk, and Melovoe - there was no referendum at all. National Guard fighters did not allow the separatists' vehicles with ballots to pass. Predominantly, seniors voted in the pseudo-referendum.
There are also many questions regarding the transparency and truthfulness of the turnout figures, as it is known that one could vote for someone else, using that person's passport.
It was possible to vote in the pseudo-referendum for the separation of Luhansk and Donetsk regions from Ukraine even in Moscow. There, one polling station was opened. Initially, it was supposed to be set up in the Slavic Literature and Culture Foundation, but was then moved to a different location. Eyewitnesses report that it resembles a warehouse, and the polling station is located on the roof of a building, reached by metal stairs. Several thousand people mainly from Luhansk, Donetsk, Horlivka, Mariupol, and Slavyansk climbed these stairs the day before. These people hold Ukrainian passports, but many have lived in Russia for a long time.