The SSU has documented that russia has begun an active phase of preparing a pseudo-referendum on the unlawful ‘accession’ of the temporarily occupied territories of the East of Ukraine.

An array of information collected by the SSU indicates that the enemy is planning to use the pro-russian organization Donetsk Republic to carry out the so-called ‘expression of will.’

Previously, it operated only on the territory of the terrorist organization DNR. Now, the entity is expanding its coverage. Accordingly, the enemy plans to change its name. The most likely option the occupiers will choose is ‘greater russia’.

Over 1,000 ‘activists’ already engaged by this organization are every day meeting and communicating with the population of the temporarily occupied territories. These ‘activists’ include campaigners, bloggers and ‘vigilantes’ who cooperate with the occupiers.

In effect, they are recruiting people by inviting them to join the organization. They have already covered over 200,000 local residents.

Kremlin supervisors are planning to engage controlled media resources to reach over 50 million viewers from russia and eastern Ukraine with their propaganda about the fake events.

The invaders are also going to send over 1,000 russian ‘experts’ and ‘volunteers’ to the region to steer the internal situation in their favor.

This group of people is to organize illegal mass rallies, spread propaganda, campaign in support of the pseudo-referendum and set up ‘electoral commissions’. Further, they plan to prepare an appeal supposedly on behalf of local residents to the leadership of the occupation administration regarding the ‘accession’ of Donetsk region to russia. The SSU has already intercepted several such documents.

To increase ‘electoral support’, the occupiers offer food packs, start packages of russian mobile operators and propaganda newspapers. The latter are already printed on the territory of ‘DNR’ with a circulation of 250,000 copies.

In addition, in order to spread separatist ideas, the enemy plans to create an extensive network of so-called ‘activists’ in Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions - in order to organize large-scale subversive activities if necessary.

So far, the SSU has established the identities and locations of the organizers and perpetrators of these crimes. Efforts are underway to bring them to justice.

The SSU Office in Donetsk and Luhansk regions has been working on the case to expose and document this unlawful activity.