Referendums begin as Russians flee mobilisation

What did the start of voting in occupied Ukraine signal on 23 September 2022? On that day, referendums began in the Russian-occupied oblasts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and in the separatist republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, on whether to join Russia. Ukraine and other countries considered them to be "sham" referendums.

A week of rapid moves

The vote came two days after Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilisation in a major address to the nation, exempting students and conscripts. On 21 September, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the mobilisation dangerous and reckless and condemned Putin's use of nuclear rhetoric. Also on 21 September, Lithuania placed its rapid reaction force on high alert in response, according to Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas.

Inside Russia, the effect was quickly visible. On 22 September, large numbers of fighting-age men left the country. Long traffic jams built up at international border crossings, and the price of tickets for international flights rose sharply.

Prisoner exchange and shelling claims

The previous day also brought a prisoner exchange mediated by Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Ukraine and Russia released 55 Russian prisoners of war and 215 fighters from the Siege of Mariupol. Those freed included the pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk and Azov Regiment commander Denys Prokopenko. British volunteers Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner were also released, as was Moroccan volunteer Saadun Brahim.

On 22 September, authorities of the Donetsk People's Republic accused Ukraine of shelling a market in Donetsk, killing six civilians.

What followed

The votes were staged by Russian-installed officials in occupied territory. They were denounced by various countries, and later accounts note that commentators widely described them as sham referendums. The validity of the results was later accepted only by North Korea.

Taken together, the events of 21 to 23 September 2022 showed a war moving on several tracks at once: a mobilisation order in Moscow, alarm among neighbouring states and NATO, a negotiated release of prisoners, and the opening of ballots in occupied areas of Ukraine.