Head of the Civil Chamber of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Alexander Kofman has urged the republic's authorities to hold a referendum to join Russia "immediately".
"It's time to erase the non-existent border between our states, as it has long been erased in our hearts, and to hold a referendum on the issue of DPR joining the Russian Federation," Kofman said.
The head of the Civil Chamber said that the DPR's people want a Russian border to separate them from Ukraine. The latter has been shelling the republic's territory for eight years since it declared its independence due to a nationalist coup in Kiev in 2014.
Russia recognized the DPR in February 2022 and signed a friendship treaty with the republic. Two days later, Moscow responded to a request from the DPR and its fellow Donbass republic – Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) – to defend them against Ukrainian attacks, thus starting the special military operation.
19 September 2022, 13:56 GMT
The LPR's Civil Chamber too expressed desire earlier today that authorities hold a referendum to join Russia. The head of the chamber later noted that holding a referendum is a matter of more than one day, but expressed hope that it will be held soon.