4,000 INVOLVED IN STAGING POLLS

KYIV — Residents in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson are being forced to vote by pro-Russian soldiers in a referendum aimed at cementing Moscow’s unilateral decision to annex the region, a local resident said in an online interview with e Yomiuri Shimbun.

Pro-Russian soldiers armed with guns visited each house and “in effect threatened and forced people to vote,” the 28-year-old man living in the city said in an interview conducted via social media.

Ukraine, the United States and many European countries have denounced the polls as “sham referenda.” However, it seems that Russia is aiming to increase the number of voters to assert the legitimacy of the voting.

In central Kherson since Sept. 23, election commission o cials accompanied by several pro-Russian soldiers have been seen entering voters’ homes to pressure them to cast ballots, according to the man.

Some Kherson residents were originally pro-Russian, but their support for Moscow has been shaken by rampant looting by Russian soldiers.

In addition, many residents are hesitant to vote in case Ukrainian forces retake the city.

“Many people here are saying they will abstain from voting,” the man said. However, people can be detained for expressing anti-Russian sentiments or taking actions deemed so. Under such circumstances, refusing to vote is extremely di cult.

Kherson had a population of about 300,000 before the invasion, but it is now estimated to be half that.

ere was a signi cant shortage of ballot papers because of the abrupt decision to hold the referendum, the man said, quoting an acquaintance who works for the election commission.

“It’s obvious that they will announce a majority in favor of annexation without conducting a proper tally,” the man asserted. “at’s how Russia does things.”

Ukrainian security authorities announced Sept. 23 that they have identi ed about 4,000 people involved in staging the referendums to prosecute them for violating territorial integrity among other crimes.

Kyiv’s move is likely an attempt to obstruct the polls by putting pressure on pro-Russia residents who are cooperating with Russian forces.

According to the authorities, Russian military and security forces under the direct control of Russian President Vladimir Putin are providing security during the polls while pro-Russian people working as election commission sta are forcing voters to cast ballots.

e governor of the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine said via social media that some ballots were cast by people taken captive by Russian forces and even the deceased, calling the referendum there a fraud.

Also on Sept. 23, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine this month had recaptured from Russian forces an area covering about 9,000 square kilometers in total, about the size of Kagoshima Prefecture. (Sept. 26)