RT quoted information from the local election committee as saying that the majority of citizens of both the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk (DPR and LPR) in the Donbass region in Ukraine support the idea of Russian annexation.
In the DPR, more than 99% of voters support the idea of joining Russia, according to initial official figures. The LPR poll also yielded similar results, with more than 98% of voters supporting the merger. In both self-proclaimed developed developed Republics, all votes have been counted, with voters turning over 80% - according to local governments.
Both Republics seceded from Kiev after the 2014 Maidan coup and the subsequent conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, residents of Zaporizhzhia province in Ukraine - partly controlled by Moscow - have decided to secede from the country and join Russia with more than 93% of voters in favor.
Most of Zaporizhzhia has been occupied by the Russian military since the start of the military campaign in late February. However, the capital of the province - the city of the same name Zaporizhzhia - is still under Ukrainian control. Melitopol acts as the actual capital of the part controlled by Russia.
Similarly, Ukraine's Kherson region - largely controlled by Russian forces - has also chosen to separate from Ukraine. According to official figures, about 87% of voters support the idea of separating from Ukraine and joining Russia.
Russian forces have controlled Kherson province since the start of the conflict. In recent weeks, Ukraine has launched a counter-offensive in an attempt to retake Kherson, but military efforts have largely failed.
Referendums were held in the four regions of Ukraine from September 23 to 27. Ukraine and Western-backed countries in Kiev rejected the referends as "fake" and said they did not recognize the results. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia's completion of the Referendums would "end any diplomatic talks with Moscow under any circumstances".
Meanwhile, on September 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin made it clear that the top priority in the polls is to ensure the safety of the people.
In the context of the special military campaign and the pleadings in Donbass, saving people in all territories, specifically saving people in all territories where this plead is being held, is a top priority, Putin said, stressing that this is the focus of the whole society, of the whole country.
The president said that this level of concern is natural in the context of recent dramatic events, while reiterating Russias view that the ultimate goal of the pleads is to protect local people and bring peace to the region.
Mr. Putin said that Moscow supports any popular opinion poll results and will welcome the regions if they vote to join Russia. The Kremlin has also signaled that if Ukraine's regions decide to occupy Russia, all attacks on these regions will be attacks on Russian territory and Moscow will retaliate in self-defense.
