What would be the point of that?!
Whether you agree with Zelensky on other points or not he isn’t wrong when he says Russia has practically flattened Donbas and Mariupol. It’s not Ukraine smashing the Russian areas to bits, and Russia would only win a referendum as a result of people fleeing the occupied area, and Russians coming in from Russia to take thrir place.
Look at Kherson where that is already happening. The Russian administration there invited hundreds of Russians in for the victory parade and has handed them apartments left empty by families that have fled.
More and more families wjo don’t want the Russian occupation are fleeing for their lives - INCLUDING ethnic Russians who are against the war. The only people moving into or staying in the city are Russian settlers sensing a great opportunity, and people who pledged allegiance to the new Russian administration.
It’s an ethnic cleansing designed to make any referendum return a compelling endorsement of the annexation.
It does look like the city will be emptied of Ukrainians (whether Russian or not) who oppose the Ruscist takeover long before a referendum can be held.
Any international monitor would have to ask voters if they’re even from Kherson, to determine if the vote is being rigged or not. It ain’t gonna happen, is it?
Kherson and Mariupol were 50% Russian before the war. They never got asked what they wanted. The borders don’t reflect demographics and need to be shifted so they do. If people don’t want to live under Russian rule, we should be willing to facilitate their move to Ukrainian areas. That’s a lot better than shipping $40 billion in foreign aid to Ukrainian oligarchs so they can pad their Swiss bank accounts