In September 2022, Russian-controlled authorities conducted referendums across four occupied regions of southeastern Ukraine—Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson—ostensibly to determine whether residents wished to join the Russian Federation. The votes, held under military occupation and widely denounced as illegitimate, produced overwhelmingly pro-annexation results that Moscow used to justify territorial claims.
According to figures released by Russian-appointed officials, support for joining Russia reached extraordinary levels: 98.42% in Luhansk, 99.23% in Donetsk, 93.11% in Zaporizhzhia, and 87.05% in Kherson. Reported turnout ranged from approximately 77% to 97% across the regions. These numbers mirrored patterns seen in previous disputed votes in Russian-occupied territories, including Crimea in 2014.
The referendums faced immediate international condemnation. Election monitors from recognized international bodies were absent, and the votes violated established democratic standards. Balloting occurred amid active warfare, with much of the pre-war population having fled. Reports documented armed soldiers accompanying election officials during door-to-door voting, ballot boxes set up in public squares under military supervision, and residents facing pressure or coercion to participate.
Russia pointed to the results as popular legitimization of its territorial claims, arguing that residents had exercised self-determination. Moscow framed the annexation as protecting Russian-speaking populations and reuniting historically Russian lands. The Kremlin established these areas as new federal subjects, extending Russian law and administration over territories it only partially controlled militarily.
Ukraine and Western governments rejected the results entirely, calling them a blatant violation of international law and Ukrainian sovereignty. The outcomes were predetermined to justify occupation rather than reflect genuine public sentiment. The referendums served primarily as a pretext for formal annexation, allowing Russia to claim these territories as integral parts of the Russian Federation despite ongoing Ukrainian resistance and international non-recognition.
