UWC Calls Upon the International Community to Denounce Putin’s Fake Referendums

As the war in Ukraine progresses, the Ukrainian World Congress calls upon the international democratic community to continue its iron-clad support of the people and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as they gain the strategic initiative on the battlefield in their fight for freedom and their country’s independence.   

As the Ukrainian army continues to liberate territories occupied by Russian forces, it has become increasing obvious that Ukraine will be victorious. In an attempt to save face, and to feed the disinformation war, Russia’s dictator Vladimir Putin will attempt to stage fake referendums in the occupied territories on September 23-27, 2022.   

“Russia is losing the war, and now trying to raise the political stakes by blackmailing and intimidating Ukraine and its allies with the possible annexation of occupied Ukrainian territories by staging fake referendums. The international democratic community must not be deceived by Putin’s bluff. Ukraine won’t negotiate with Russian war criminals, rapists, and marauders. Any country that recognizes these sham referenda should face punitive sanctions by the international community,” stated Paul Grod, UWC President. 

In the occupied territories, Ukrainians are risking their lives by openly protesting Russian occupation. The civilian resistance movement in these regions is also gaining momentum with sabotage and targeted assassinations of administrative representatives of the illegal Russian occupation. By some accounts, Russian soldiers have been instructed by their military commanders to not take food or water from the local population, to avoid being poisoned. 

“As we have recently witnessed in the territories liberated in the Kharkiv region, the Russian occupation forces have been torturing, raping, persecuting and killing civilians on mass. We call upon the international community to immediately provide Ukraine with sophisticated weapons and economic support to ensure their armed forces can liberate the Ukrainian people from the genocide being committed in territories occupied by Russia,” Paul Grod added.