"Fake referendums in Ukraine are a blatant violation of international law." This is what the General Secretary of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Tuesday afternoon. 

"Fake referendums held by Russia have no legitimacy and are a clear violation of international law. These lands are Ukraine", the head of NATO wrote on Twitter. 

Stoltenberg said he had just spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom he "made it clear that NATO allies are unwavering in their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and right to self-defense." \

Meanwhile, according to the Russian news agency RIA, the vast majority of citizens living in the occupied regions of Ukraine voted "in favor" of joining Russia. 

So-called referendums have been held in four regions of Ukraine that are currently under Russian control, in an attempt to legitimize their actions in the occupied areas. Both the West and Ukraine have described the votes as invalid, while not bothering with reports that Ukrainians are actually voting blackmailed for a living or even at gunpoint.