Italian NGO Observer at Donetsk Referendum Says UN ‘Asleep’ as Ukraine Shells Civilians

"Unfortunately, we see that the UN is asleep. Not only when it comes to Donbass but also to other countries in a similar situation. The UN has not been reacting," Vito Grittani told reporters in Donetsk.

Grittani heads the International Diplomatic Observatory (ODI-VG), which has consultative status with the UN’s Economic and Social Council. He said shelling by Ukrainian troops has been going on "despite them knowing that people are voting."

"We will report about this in our home countries," he said, adding that Italian observers had also received threats and "recommendations" not to go to the polls.

Voting in the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, as well as in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, began on Friday and will close on Tuesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that Russia would accept any decision people made during the referendums.