DISINFO: Russian troops are not in Ukraine, as these regions decided to become Russian territory
SUMMARY
We must clarify that Russia is not currently in Ukraine but in Russian territory, because that’s the decision of four regions who preferred to tie their destiny to Russia: Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson. In any case, there should be a call for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from Russian territory.
RESPONSE
This disinformation story aims to portray the illegal annexation of Ukrainian regions by the Russian Federation as legitimate and the expression of the free will of the population. Nonetheless, the claim is false, as the four mentioned regions - Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson- remain legally part of Ukraine. The forced annexation of these regions took place amid a full invasion and under military occupation, and after sham referenda that didn’t meet any international standard to be considered legitimate.
The "referenda" were held illegally, under duress, and on territories which Russia does not even fully control. Multiple testimonies showed that many voters were coerced to take part in the false consultation, and eyewitnesses and footage in places like Enerhodar and Kherson proved that officials escorted by soldiers went door to door picking up votes.
The results of these sham polls were universally rejected by leading international and human rights organisations, including the United Nations, the OSCE, NATO, as well as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. No other states -with the single exception of North Korea- recognised the result of the referenda, despite Russia’s claims at the UN that the presence of over 100 observers from multiple countries recognised the outcomes as legitimate.
On the EU's behalf, High Representative Josep Borrell said the following:
“The European Union strongly condemns these planned illegal “referenda” which go against the legal and democratically elected Ukrainian authorities, are in violation of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in blatant breach of international law. The results of such actions will be null and void and would not be recognised by the EU and its Member States. […] Therefore, these illegal “votes” cannot be considered under any circumstance as the free expression of the will of the people living in these regions under constant Russian military threat and intimidation."
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Kherson, Zaporizhia and Donbas regions overwhelmingly voted to join Russia, that international observers certified that people voted freely in the Ukraine referenda, that referendums in Eastern Ukraine were completely transparent and legitimate, or that the referendum in Donbas corrected a historical injustice.