Russian news agency TASS announced that observers from Bosnia’s Serb-dominated Republika Srpska (RS) entity were also present at the Russian sham referenda in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
“The criticism from the West exists only because they don't like this referendum politically,” an observer from Republika Srpska (BiH) told Tass.
A journalist from RS public emitter Radio Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS), Danijel Simic, published a photo with the caption “Electoral Commission of the Kherson region” on his Twitter account and above it, in the description he wrote, “late night counting”.
Бројимо ситно. pic.twitter.com/7CkD0mvYar
— Дани(ј)ел Симић (@cumuh) September 27, 2022
It is also important to point out that BiH Serb Presidency member Milorad Dodik announced after the recent meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin that there is possible that someone from the RS will be an observer at the referenda.
Dodik is one of the few politicians who wholeheartedly supports Putin and who was in favour of holding the aforementioned referenda.
TASS also quoted an “independent observer from Germany,” Thomas Roeper, as saying that “threats from Ukraine were the only type of violations that I saw. There were attempts to attack us. We saw a bombardment. But I did not see any violations regarding the voting procedure itself. All documents were clearly checked, the ballot boxes were sealed and the booths were in place.”
The same report also mentions an observer from Mozambique, Jose Matemulane, who allegedly noted that the voting was held in accordance with all conceivable standards.
The agency states that there were also observers from France, Serbia, Bulgaria and the Central African Republic, all unanimously noting the enthusiasm of the people who were casting their ballots.
The referenda in the Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine were held September 23-27 and between 96 and 98 percent of voters allegedly voted in favour of accession to Russia.
