Sham referenda coordinated by Putin's administration - intelligence

That’s according to Vadym Skibitskyi, spokesman for the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, Ukrinform reports with reference to the agency’s press service.

The official says the preparation and implementation of the sham referenda spectacles were coordinated by the Russian president’s administration. Russia’s high-ranking officials were deployed in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, while officials representing Russia’s federal regions provided assistance to the so-called election commissions.

The intelligence official also noted that Russia had run a powerful information campaign, with the main goal of convincing the European audiences that the invaders were complying with the norms of international law.

According to intelligence data, Russian propagandists would film staged reports, bus people in from Rostov region and Crimea in order to create a “crowd of voters,” showing how “happy people are, how much they rally around the vote.” This picture will be shown to the Russian audience, and they will also try to convince Europe that this happened in accordance with international law.

"But we understand that it is a sham. This is another powerful information campaign conducted by the Russian Federation, covering up its crimes," Skibitsky concluded.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Russian invaders on September 23-27 held sham referenda in the temporarily captured territories of Ukraine. According to the outcome, announced by Russia, "support" for accession to Russia allegedly amounted to more than 97% of votes. The international community has not recognized the sham referenda.