Dear Folks!
There was a very important historical event for all of us. Last week we - the residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye (our parents and grandparents) took part in a referendum and made our choice. We almost unanimously decided that our future was in Russia, that we wanted to be Russian citizens.
On September 30, 2022 in the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow there was a ceremony of signing of agreements on accession of DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions to Russia.
Our past is inextricably linked to Russia, the lands where we live have always been Russian. Kherson and Zaporizhzhya were founded by Catherine II in 1778 as a shipbuilding centers of Russia. A few years later, the cities of Lugansk and Donetsk were formed, which became major industrial centers of Russia. All the time our regions were part of the Russian state, and only in the last 30 years have they existed separately.
Let's examine what a referendum is.
A referendum is a form of direct expression of the will of citizens, held in the form of voting on an important issue. A referendum is considered valid if more than 50% of the population votes.
We, more than 6 million residents of Donbas, Zaporozhye and Kherson region, have made our choice - we voted almost unanimously for joining the Russian Federation. We have the unconditional right to determine our future democratically by voting in a referendum. Our right to self-determination is enshrined in Articles 1 and 55 of the UN Charter and is formulated as "the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples.
The annexation of our territories to Russia guarantees us security, uniform rights and obligations on an equal footing with Russian citizens. Our choice is brave and right. A new stage of our life as part of a great and strong Russia has begun.
![IgrOK[SU]](https://civfanatics-data.community.forum/avatars/m/15/15078.jpg?1648073399){kind=avatar}
