LUGANSK, July 22. /TASS/: A referendum on the accession of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) to Russia will be held at 492 voting stations, Chairman of the republic’s Public Chamber Alexey Karyakin said.
"Work began on forming the group of observers at the polling stations, there will be a total of 492 of them in the LPR," the Luganskinformcenter news agency quoted him as saying.
The official reiterated that at the July 15 meeting of the Public Chamber, the creation of the referendum’s headquarters was initiated. "Currently, work is already underway on this track," he added.
Earlier, LPR head Leonid Pasechnik said that the republic may hold a referendum where its residents would express their opinion on joining Russia. That said, he noted that the main task at the moment was the liberation of the republic’s entire territory from the Ukrainian army and only then the referendum may be considered. On July 3, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin that the LPR had been completely liberated.
In his turn, Ambassador of the Lugansk People’s Republic to Moscow Rodion Miroshnik told TASS that the referendum on joining Russia would definitely take place in the republic as soon as security was ensured. On June 17, the LPR’s Central Election Commission approved the procedure for creating polling and referendum stations.
The situation at the Donbass engagement line flared up on February 17. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a decision to recognize the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. The treaties on friendship, cooperation and mutual aid were signed with their leaders. On February 22, the State Duma and the Federation Council ratified both documents, and the Russian leader signed the respective laws on the same day. Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years."
