‘Why bother voting?’: apathy in Ukraine amid so-called referendums

Hastily arranged polls in Russia-controlled regions have seen little campaigning, but there are reports of door-to-door searches and repression

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With minimal preparation, armed soldiers standing guard and the booms of war often audible in the distance, so-called referendums got under way on Friday in areas of Ukraine occupied by Russian troops.

Residents in Russian-controlled parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions were told to vote on proposals for the four areas to declare independence and then join Russia.