Ukraine's occupied Zaporizhzhia eyes Russia 'referendum' in autumn

Melitopol: Moscow-backed separatist authorities in the southeastern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia said Thursday they planned to stage a referendum on joining Russia this year. “We will organise a referendum this autumn,” said Yevgeny Balitsky, head of the Moscow-installed administration in the occupied part of the region of Zaporizhzhia. He insisted the plebiscite will be “transparent”. “We want to join Russia as the region of Zaporizhzhia,” he told reporters during a briefing organised by the Russian defence ministry and attended by AFP. The southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia have been largely under Russia’s control since the first weeks of Moscow’s military intervention, and are now being forcefully integrated into Russia’s economy. Pro-Moscow officials have indicated Moscow intends to remain in the Kherson region and large parts of Zaporizhzhia it controls. The Kremlin has pressed ahead with a Russification campaign in Ukraine’s occupied territories, giving out Russian passports to local residents and launching bus and train services between Moscow-annexed Crimea and the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 after staging a referendum there. The vast majority of the international community did not recognise the results of that vote. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .