📹 🐈 A resident of Lugansk has come to a polling station to take part in the referendum on joining Russia with her cat.

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❗️❗️ EXCLUSIVE | Experts smash western politicians' and media claims that India should "gird its loins" as Russia's defense industry is allegedly facing issues due to the spec op in Ukraine and western sanctions.

📹 Have a look at how the referendum on joining Russia is being held in Melitopol.

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‼️ The electoral commissions of the liberated territories have announced the first results of voting on joining Russia:

▪️ 96.97% of voters in the Kherson region voted in favor of joining Russia, according to the results of 14% of the ballots cast so far.

▪️ 98,19% of voters polled in the Zaporozhye region voted in favor of joining Russia, the processing of 18% of the ballots revealed.

▪️ 97,91% of voters in the DPR voted in favor of joining Russia, according to the results of the processing of 14% of the votes.

▪️ 97,82% of voters in the LPR voted in favor of joining Russia, according to the results of processing 13% of the protocols.

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⚡️ The total turnout in the LPR is 92.6%, according to the CEC of the republic

📹 The Danish military has published footage showing the leak near the double Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

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❗️Swedish Seismic Center says powerful underwater explosions registered in area of gas leaks on Nord Stream gas pipelines

“There was no violation of any rights….I have seen a fair process”

Watch: Tskani Shivity from the African National Congress Youth League describes how the referendum on joining Russia was held

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Russia’s EMERCOM (Ministry of Emergency Situations) has found and disabled more than 65,000 Ukrainian mines and explosive devices in Donbass since march.

Video is the courtesy of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations

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❗️The Zaporozhye Election Committee gives figures after processing 3% of ballots: 92.04% in favor of joining Russia.

The Kherson Election Committee gives figures after processing 12% of ballots: 87.42% for joining Russia

❗️After counting 57% of votes at polling stations in Russia, 97.74% of Zaporozhye residents based in Russia voted for the entry of the region into Russia, according to the preliminary data.

After counting 53% of votes at polling stations in Russia, 96.30% of Kherson residents based in Russia voted for the entry of the region into Russia, according to the data.

⚡️🇹🇷In the province of Ardagan, Turkey, an earthquake of magnitude 5 has occurred, the Turkish Disaster Relief Service AFAD reports.

“My roots are in Russia, so I’m only for Russia”

📹Have a look at Sputnik’s footage showing how the LPR residents speak about the referendum on joining Russia

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“There are queues of people voting there, people are forming (queues) already not paying attention to the artillery bursts”

Watch: Alexandr Kots, special correspondent of the Komsomolskaya Pravda media group, tells Sputnik’s correspondent how LPR residents came to vote in the referendum not paying attention to Ukrainian shelling

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❗️Swedish police said that they have launched a preliminary investigation into possible sabotage related to the Nord Stream 1 gas leak in the Baltic Sea.

💬"We have compiled a report and classified the crime as gross sabotage," a national police spokesman said.

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❗️Gas prices in Europe accelerated 19% during trading on Tuesday and rose above $2,050 per 1,000 cubic meters. The uptick came amid Gazprom's statements about possible Russian sanctions against Ukrainian firm Naftogaz in the event of a continuation of the trial on the transit of Russian gas to Europe, according to data from the London ICE exchange.

Previously, Gazprom categorically rejected all of Naftogaz's demands on the proceedings regarding the transit of Russian gas to Europe. The Russian firm stated that it would not pay for transit services not provided by the Ukrainian company and warned it about possible sanctions if the trial continues.

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‼️Sputnik exclusive : Preliminary conclusions from international observers of the referendums of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions on becoming part of the Russian Federation:

▪️International observers registered a high level of activity of citizens, their interest in participating in the referendum, and full understanding of the significance of their choice and its consequences;

▪️Participation in the referendum and voting were based on the free expression of citizens' will, no acts of coercion, pressure or bribery were observed;

▪️Referendums were organized in accordance with generally accepted standards and were assessed by the observers as good;

▪️All conditions for the free expression of the will of the citizens were created in accordance with the international principles and standards - universal, equal, direct right to participate in the referendum, secret ballots, openness and publicity of referendum procedures.

▪️In some local districts during the referendum, actions by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to intimidate residents were recorded, depriving them of the opportunity to exercise their right.

▪️There were no acts of multiple voting, voting without an identity document and no cases of refusal to issue ballots or any other irregularities.

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❗️Latest data from polling stations based in Russia:

▪️97.81% voted for the entry of the Zaporozhye region into Russia;

▪️97.93% voted for the entry of the LPR into Russia;

▪️98.69% voted for the entry of the DPR into Russia.

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⚡️The head of Catalonia announced his intention to hold a new independence referendum.

❗️Ukraine can use US-provided weapons to launch attacks on territories where referendums on joining Russia are being held, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says.

She [Giorgia Meloni] is very conservative, she is pro-traditional values, she is pro-family, she is Christian, Catholic. Gerald Olivier, an editor and writer at Atlantico, explained in relation to the result of the elections in Italy.

💬“If you want to kind of define Giorgia Meloni's full program, you cannot just look at foreign policy. I think the number one issue is anti-immigration, especially anti-illegal immigration. Connected to that issue is she wants the EU to do something against the rise of Islam because most of the immigration coming into Europe and Italy is of Muslim origin and that is changing the culture and the nature of Italian society. She is very conservative, she is pro-traditional values, she is pro-family, she is Christian, Catholic, she doesn't hide it. She was born in Rome herself, and that aspect of her program is very important to Italians.”

🎧Listen to more of Olivier’s analysis in our podcast: Elections in Italy, Referendums in Donbass, First Amendment & Big Tech