MELITOPOL, September 30 – Novosti. Residents of Melitopol and other cities of the Zaporozhye region gathered at a festive concert dedicated to the region’s accession to the Russian Federation, citizens greet this news with tears in their eyes and smiles, Novosti correspondent reports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Lugansk People’s Republic, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions signed agreements on joining the regions to Russia on Friday. The ceremony took place in the Georgievsky Hall of the Kremlin.
A festive concert is taking place on Victory Square in the center of Melitopol. Both youth and aged people came to celebrate the announcement of joining the Russian Federation. Many are holding the flags of Russia and the red-green flags of the region.
“We have finally waited for this holiday, I’m sorry that I can’t hold back my tears. Thank you for receiving us from Russia, and we can already walk together into a common future,” a resident of Melitopol shared with Novosti.
A student of the Melitopol State University, in turn, told the correspondent of Novosti that today’s historic event was supposed to happen. “And I feel very proud that we are now really part of Russia,” she added.
A young resident of Melitopol, answering the question of what he personally expects after the reunification, noted that it is already noticeable how the quality of free education and medicine has improved many times over. “We became part of the greatest event and wanted to hear now our President Vladimir Putin that the liberated territories were included in the Russian Federation,” another resident of Melitopol told Novosti .
Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin called its goal “the protection of people who have been subjected to genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.” After the liberation of a number of territories, referendums were held in the DPR , LPR , Kherson and Zaporozhye regions on joining Russia. In the DPR, 99.23% were in favor of joining, in the LPR – 98.42%, in the Kherson region – 87.05%, in the Zaporozhye region – 93.11%.
Ukraine and Western countries have announced that they will not recognize the results of the vote. Russia, in response to the UN Security Council , stated that by not recognizing the referenda, the West is showing double standards.
