Russia holds a referendum in the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, as well as the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, which are controlled by pro-Russian separatists and where Russia’s dominance grew after the war. While long lines form at some polling stations, 1.5 million people in Donetsk, approximately 1 million in Luhansk, 500,000 in Zaporizhia, and 750 thousand in Kherson have the right to vote. For security reasons, election officials will take ballots to the houses for the first four days, according to local sources. While there will be no ballot boxes in rural areas, voters will be able to vote in ballot boxes placed in residential areas.

The Russian army and the armed forces in the regions maximized security in case of an attack. The five-day voting will end on Tuesday next week.