Referendums on the status of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, parts of Ukraine that together make up the Donbas region, were claimed to have taken place on 11 May 2014 in many towns under the control of the Russian-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. These referendums intended to legitimise the establishment of the unrecognized states, in the context of the Russian invasion of Crimea and rising pro-Russian unrest in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution. In addition, a counter-referendum on accession to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast was held in some Ukrainian-controlled parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
Independent observers reported many irregularities and the results of the separatist referendums were not officially recognised by any government, including those of Ukraine, the United States, and the countries of the European Union. The Ukrainian government called the referendum "illegal", and a number of nations—such as Germany, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom—called the referendum "unconstitutional" and "lacking legitimacy". The Russian government expressed "respect" for the results and urged a "civilised" implementation, and later announced recognition of the republics on 21 February 2022, becoming the first UN member state to do so.
Background
The referendums were modelled on a similar disputed referendum held in Crimea during the Crimean crisis. Russia used that vote to justify annexing Crimea.
The Ukrainian transitional president Oleksandr Turchynov said that the proclamation of the republics, along with protests in other eastern cities, was evidence of a "second stage" of Russian operations "playing out the Crimean scenario". After its proclamation, the self-proclaimed authorities of the Donetsk People's Republic announced that they would carry out a referendum on 11 May to determine the future status of the region, and legitimise the establishment of the Republic. Many government buildings in towns and cities across Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts became occupied by separatist insurgents as the Republic expanded its territorial control. As a result, the Ukrainian government launched a counter-offensive against insurgents in some parts of Donetsk Oblast.
An agreement made in Geneva between the United States, European Union, Russia, and Ukraine was intended to demilitarise and de-escalate the conflict, but the leaders of the republics rejected it. They stated that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov did not represent them, and that an agreement made by uninvolved parties was not binding on their behaviour. Instead, they said that they would only end their occupation of government buildings after the referendums. The referendums took place as mounting anger rose against the so-called "anti-terrorist" operations by Ukrainian forces against separatists, which resulted in civilian casualties.
Russian president Vladimir Putin publicly asked pro-Russian separatists to postpone the proposed referendums to create the necessary conditions for dialogue on 7 May. Despite Putin's comments, the self-proclaimed authorities of Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic said they would still carry out the referendum. That day a principal of a secondary school in Luhansk was kidnapped by four masked gunmen, local police told the Interfax news agency.
Public opinion
A poll released by the Kyiv Institute of Sociology, with data gathered from 8–16 April, 41.1% of people in Donetsk were for decentralisation of Ukraine with powers transferred to regions, while letting it remain a unified state, 38.4% for changing Ukraine into federation, 27.5% were in favour of secession from Ukraine to join the Russian Federation, and only 10.6% supported current unitary structure without changes.
Another poll, taken by the Donetsk Institute for Social Research and Political Analysis, found that 18.6% of those polled in the region opposed changes to the government structure, 47% favoured federalisation, or at least more economic independence from Kyiv, 27% wanted to join Russia in some form, and 5% wanted to become an independent state.
According to a survey conducted by Pew Research Center from 5–23 April, 18% of eastern Ukrainians were in favour of secession, while 70% wished to remain part of a united Ukraine.
While early polls in April reported that supporters of independence were a small minority, the Los Angeles Times reported that the later violence in Odesa and Mariupol turned many against the Ukrainian transitional government.
An opinion poll that was taken on the day of the referendum and the day before by a correspondent of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, The Washington Post, and five other media outlets found that of those people who intended to vote, 94.8% would vote for independence. The poll did not claim to have scientific precision, but was carried out to get a basis from which to judge the outcome of the referendum, given that independent observers were not present to monitor it. Even with those who said they would not vote counted in, a 65.6% majority supported separation from Ukraine.
A 2019 poll showed that around 55% of the separatist-controlled Donbas residents wished to return to Ukraine.
Legitimacy
According to article 73 of the 1996 Constitution of Ukraine, and article 3 of the 2012 law on referendums, territorial changes can only be approved via a referendum if all citizens of Ukraine are allowed to vote, including those that do not reside in the area.
During the referendum in Crimea, the Central Election Commission of Ukraine also stated that there was no possibility for regional authorities to initiate such a referendum, according to Ukrainian legislation.
Anne Peters wrote, the referendum did not meet the conditions of international law. The local organizers did not have access to up-to-date official electoral lists, polling stations were not open throughout the entire area voted on, ballot papers could be photocopied at will and there was no independent verification of the count.
Allegations of fraud
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) released an audio recording on 5 May that they said was a phone call between a Donetsk separatist leader named Dima Boitsov, and the leader of the far-right paramilitary Russian National Unity group Alexander Barkashov. In the recording, Boitsov said he wanted to postpone the referendum due to the DPR's inability to control all of Donetsk Oblast. Barkashov said that he had communicated with Putin, and insisted Boitsov hold the referendum regardless of the separatist leader's concerns. He suggested that Boitsov tabulate the results as 89% in favour of autonomy. Separatists stated that the recording was fake. However, the 89% mentioned in the phone call exactly match the result of the referendum, which took place on 11 May 2014, i.e. several days after the recording had been published.
Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger reported that voters were able to vote as many times as they wanted. Internal Affairs ministry officials branded the vote a farce, and said that just over 32 percent of registered voters in Donetsk Oblast participated in the vote. Pro-Russia separatists in Donetsk were found with 100,000 pre-marked ‘Yes’ ballots the day before the vote.
According to Andrei Buzin, co-chair of GOLOS Association, there were significant irregularities in the organisation and holding of the referendum.
Referendum in Donetsk Oblast
Organisation
A central election committee was set up to organise the referendum. Fifty-five local election committees, and 2,279 polling stations were to be established to carry it out. A number of towns refused to hold the referendum.
To cover all the region's registered voters, 3.2 million voting ballots needed to be produced. They began to be printed on 29 April, and printing continued for eight days after that. The ballots used had no protective features to prevent mass-duplication, and were printed with standard commercial printers.
Officials from the Donetsk regional administration said that the separatists would require at least 85 million US dollars to fund the referendum, and that it would cost at least 8 million for Donetsk city alone. According to authorities from the republic, however, the budget of the referendum was minimal, mostly being composed of donations from private citizens and businesses. Ballots, for example, cost only 9,000 US dollars to produce.
By 10 May, fifty-three local election committees and 1,527 polling stations had been established. The Donetsk regional education superintendent informed reporters that they were forced under threat of death to organise polling stations in the schools.
Two official electoral commissioners were kidnapped by separatists prior to the vote.
Donetsk and Luhansk residents living in Russia were able to cast their votes in Moscow. Non-binding votes were also cast abroad, including in Barcelona as a show of support.
Local news sources claimed that many residents did not intend to vote while others did not know where polling stations were located.
Question
The chairman of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said that the ballots were printed in both Russian and Ukrainian, and asked one question: "Do you support the declaration of state independence of the Donetsk People's Republic?" The Russian word used, самостоятельность, (samostoyatel'nost') (literally "standing by oneself"), can be translated as either full independence or broad autonomy, which left voters confused about what their ballot actually meant. One polling station manager interviewed by VICE News insisted the vote had nothing to do with secession.
Election irregularities
Intimidation of opponents
A campaign of intimidation, beatings, and hostage taking has forced many pro-Ukrainian activists and known opponents of secession to Russia to flee the region, leaving the referendum to take place without any dissent or opposing voices. At least 24 people were being held by insurgents in Donetsk region at the time of the referendum, according to Human Rights Watch.
Seizure of pre-marked ballots
The day before the referendum, it was reported in Ukrainian media that a group of pro-Russian separatists in possession of a 100,000 ballots already marked with a "yes" vote for the referendum were captured during the ongoing government "anti-terrorist" operation, and that the ballots were seized by government forces.
Irregularities in polling station opening times
Local news reported that polling in some occupied schools had already begun a day in advance. The referendum began early on 10 May in Mariupol, which according to the separatist group's election official Sergey Beshulya was due to the possibility of Ukrainian security forces returning. Other locations also reported early voting in some areas. For the remainder of the province, polling began at 8:00 a.m. on 11 May.
Intimidation of press observers
When interviewing voters at a polling station in Donetsk, VICE News crew were detained for three hours by masked men with assault rifles who demanded their memory cards.
Voting fraud
Many of the voters were not on the registration lists but were allowed to vote after showing identification documents. A CNN crew saw several people vote twice at one polling station. CNN reported seeing some voters vote more than once at ballot boxes.
The BBC filmed a woman putting two ballot papers into the same ballot box.
Reporters with German newspaper Bild followed a man that they said voted eight times. He was asked twice if he lived in Donetsk. He answered no, which the polling officials said was not a problem.
Lack of polling stations
Referendum organisers reduced the number of voting stations, leading to long queues, which were then broadcast on Russian television as "proof" that voter turnout was high.
In Mariupol, a city of 500,000, only four voting stations were open; one polling station was set up in a burned-out administrative building that was seized by separatists and which was the scene of fierce fighting just days prior. Most voters waiting in line said they were pro-separatist.
Violence during referendum
In Krasnoarmiisk, on the day of the referendum, a unit of the Ukrainian National Guard opened fired on a crowd after being attacked by people in the crowd, killing one and wounding two.
Result
The referendum organizers stated that 2,252,867 voted in favour of self-rule, with 256,040 against, on a turnout of nearly 75%. These results could not be independently verified.
Chairman Denis Pushilin announced immediately after the referendum that the Ukrainian military must leave Donetsk. "All [Ukrainian] military troops on our territory after the official announcement of referendum results will be considered illegal and declared occupiers," Pushilin said. "It is necessary [for the Donetsk People's Republic] to form state bodies and military authorities as soon as possible."
Referendum in Luhansk Oblast
Question
Voters could select yes or no in response to the question: "Do you support the declaration of state independence of the Luhansk People's Republic?"
According to The Guardian, many voters did not understand the meaning of the ballot question.