Vote in Ukraine’s Russia-held areas stokes tension with West

By ADAM SCHRECK and JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Voting has concluded in referendums expected to serve as a pretext for Moscow to annex Russian-held regions of Ukraine. Moscow-backed officials in the four occupied regions said polls closed Tuesday afternoon after five days of voting, and the counting of ballots had started. The preordained outcome of the Kremlin-orchestrated votes has heightened tension between Russia and the West. The annexation of Ukraine’s Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk regions could set the stage for a dangerous new phase of the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin’s spokesman said the changed status of the regions would bring consequences for protection of those areas.