>telesurenglish.net/news/Luhansk-Donetsk-Kherson-Zaporizhia-Seek-to-Join-Russia-20220920-0007.html
The referenda will be held from Sept. 23 to 27, as announced by the leaders of these regions located in the Donbas region, which has been under intense attack by Ukrainian troops over the last few weeks.
These referendas will annex this area to Russia, similiar to Crimea in 2014.
If the Donbas region joins Russia, this will be Russia's sovereign land.
Remember those threats Putin made about using "weapons of mass destruction"?
Well, this would completely change the landscape of the mobilization of Russian forces.
If a missile were to hit Donetsk, that would be like a missile hitting Moscow.
And Putin will respond swiftly. This will no longer be a NATO backed incursion, it will be an attack on Russian soil.
After thia referdum is held, the Donbas region will be Russian soil and Putin will defend it with the might of the full Russian military.
So what's the next step for the west, bow out gracefully or double down and risk WWIII?