Russia shells Ukrainian cities amid Kremlin-staged votes

Russian forces launched caller strikes connected Ukrainian cities arsenic Kremlin-orchestrated votes took spot successful occupied regions of Ukraine to make a pretext for their annexation by Moscow.

Ukraine's statesmanlike bureau said the latest Russian shelling killed astatine slightest 3 radical and wounded 19. Oleksandr Starukh, the Ukrainian politician of Zaporizhzhia, 1 of the regions wherever Moscow-installed officials organized referendums connected joining Russia, said a Russian rocket deed an flat gathering successful the metropolis of Zaporizhzhia, sidesplitting 1 idiosyncratic and injuring 7 others.

In the five-day voting successful the eastbound Luhansk and Donetsk regions and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia successful the southbound that began Friday, predetermination officials accompanied by constabulary officers carried ballots to homes and acceptable up mobile polling stations, citing information reasons. The votes are acceptable to wrapper up Tuesday, erstwhile balloting volition beryllium held astatine polling stations.

Ukraine and its Western allies accidental the referendums person nary ineligible force. They alleged the votes were an illegitimate effort by Moscow to portion distant a ample portion of Ukraine, stretching from the Russian borderline to the Crimean Peninsula. A akin referendum took spot successful Crimea successful 2014 earlier Moscow annexed it, a determination that astir of the satellite considered illegal.

"Half of the colonisation fled the Donetsk portion due to the fact that of Russian panic and changeless shelling, voting against Russia with their feet, and the 2nd fractional has been cheated and scared," Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians successful occupied regions to undermine the referendums and to stock accusation astir the radical conducting "this farce." He besides called connected radical to effort to debar the partial unit mobilization Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Wednesday oregon to sabotage and godforsaken the Russian subject if they ended up successful the ranks.

"If you get into the Russian army, sabotage immoderate enactment of the enemy, hinder immoderate Russian operations, supply america with immoderate important accusation astir the occupiers – their bases, headquarters, warehouses with ammunition," Zelenskyy said.

Luhansk Gov. Serhiy Haidai said the voting "looked much similar an sentiment survey nether the weapon barrels," adding that the Moscow-backed section authorities were sending equipped escorts to travel predetermination officials and to enactment the names of individuals who voted against joining Russia.

In the Ukrainian capital, astir 100 radical from the Russia-occupied metropolis of Mariupol, which is portion of the Donetsk region, gathered to protestation the referendum, covering themselves successful Ukrainian flags and carrying posters "Mariupol is Ukraine."

"They ruined the city, killed thousands of people, and present they are doing immoderate benignant of profanation implicit there," said Vladyslav Kildishov who helped signifier the rally.

Elina Sytkova, 21, a demonstrator who has galore relatives near successful Mariupol adjacent though the metropolis spent months nether bombardment, said the ballot was "like a joke, due to the fact that it's the aforesaid arsenic it was successful Crimea, meaning it's fake and not real." "It's an illusion of prime erstwhile determination isn't any," she added.

Russia's Defense Ministry said that the partial mobilization ordered by Putin aimed to adhd astir 300,000 troops, but the statesmanlike decree keeps the doorway unfastened for a broader call-up.

Across Russa's 11 clip zones, men hugged their weeping household members earlier being rounded up for work amid fears that a wider call-up mightiness follow. Some media reports claimed that the Russian authorities really program to mobilize much than 1 million, the allegations denied by the Kremlin.

Police moved rapidly to disperse much demonstrations against the mobilization that were held successful respective cities crossed Russia connected Saturday and detained much than 100 participants. Over 1,300 protesters were arrested during antiwar demonstrations connected Wednesday, and galore of them instantly received call-up summons.

Many Russian men tried desperately to permission the country, buying up scarce and exorbitantly priced level tickets. Thousands others fled by car, creating lines of postulation hours oregon adjacent days agelong astatine immoderate borders.

The mobilization marked a crisp displacement from Putin's effort to formed the seven-month warfare arsenic a "special subject operation" that doesn't interfere with the lives of astir Russians. The monolithic exodus underlined the unpopularity of the warfare and fueled nationalist outrage that could erode his grip connected power.

Moving to assuage nationalist fears implicit the call-up, the authorities announced that galore of those moving successful precocious tech, communications oregon concern volition beryllium exempt.

And successful a awesome that the Kremlin was getting disquieted astir the spreading panic and chaos caused by the mobilization, the caput of a apical state-controlled TV presumption harshly criticized subject authorities for hastily sweeping up random radical to conscionable mobilization targets alternatively of calling up radical with subject skills who had served recently, arsenic Putin promised.

RT main Margarita Simonyan lashed retired astatine subject conscription offices for "driving radical mad" by rounding up those who weren't expected to beryllium drafted. "It's arsenic if they were tasked by Kyiv to bash that," she said.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed determination person of Chechnya who sent his forces to combat successful Ukraine and repeatedly called for tougher action, suggested that Moscow should much broadly prosecute unit from instrumentality enforcement agencies successful the fighting.

He denounced those fleeing the mobilization arsenic cowards and argued that constabulary and assorted paramilitary agencies that fig a full of 5 cardinal unneurotic with the subject would marque a overmuch better-trained and motivated warring force.

"If we permission 50 percent of the unit to fulfill their duties, 2.5 cardinal others volition stroke immoderate Western service distant and we won't request immoderate reservists," Kadyrov said.

Putin's mobilization bid followed a swift Ukrainian counteroffensive that forced Moscow's retreat from wide swaths of the northeastern Kharkiv region, a humiliating decision that highlighted blunders successful Moscow's subject planning.

The Defense Ministry connected Saturday announced the dismissal of Gen. Dmitry Bulgakov from the station of lawman defence curate successful complaint of logistics. It didn't notation the origin for his ouster, but the determination was wide seen arsenic a punishment for the flaws successful supporting operations successful Ukraine.