Voting in the regions of Luhansk, Kherson, and partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk continued on Saturday, with residents asked if they want the areas to be part of Russia. The voting is being overseen by Moscow-installed authorities and is scheduled to run through Tuesday. Kyiv and the West condemned them as an illegitimate and a rigged attempt by Moscow to annex areas in the east and south after nearly seven months of the war.
Some videos have surfaced online showing armed Russian soldiers going door to door in residential buildings with women holding clipboards to conduct the referendum via oral votes. Russia says soldiers are there for security reasons.