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Majority of Donbass residents want their republics to be part of Russia — poll

The majority of residents in the surveyed territories responded positively to the question about their participation in a referendum on the region’s territorial affiliation

MOSCOW, September 20. /TASS/. Most people living in the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (LPR and DPR), and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions are ready to take part in a referendum and are in favor of their regions’ unification with Russia, according to the results of a telephone poll conducted by the Institute of Social Marketing.

"The majority of residents in the surveyed territories responded positively to the question about their participation in a referendum on the region’s territorial affiliation. The greatest willingness to take part in the referendum was demonstrated by residents of the people’s republics (80% in the DPR and 83% in the LPR). Zaporozhye region - 72%, Kherson region - 65%," the pollster said.

A large contingent of respondents want to see their region be a part of Russia. "80% of respondents in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, 90% in the LPR and 91% in the LPR responded in the positive," it said, adding that no one in the Donbass republics said that they want to be part of Ukraine.

The poll involving 1,000 respondents in each of the four territories was conducted on September 19. The margin of error was 3.1%.

Speaker of the LPR’s People’s Council (legislature) Denis Miroshnichenko said earlier on Tuesday that the referendum on unifying with Russia will be held in the republic on September 23-27. Later, DPR head Denis Pushilin also announced that such a referendum will be held in the DPR in the same period. The referendums on joining Russia in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions will also be organized on September 23-27.

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