Exactly 1 year ago — on Sunday May 11 in Luhansk region took place “a referendum of self-determination” of “Luhansk People’s Republic”. The aim of this event was to create visibility even of conditional legitimacy “ of “Act about state self-dependence of “LPR”, which was sounded first time on the area near captured Luhansk SSU on April 28, 2014. Folk fun of «Novorossiya citizens»: the referendum and grabs of administrative buildings. At the beginning of May last year luhansk separatists were significantly behind their colleagues: the date of “referendum” was assigned on May 11 right away after grabbing SSU on 7th of April. Although word “referendum” sounded regular on a meetings near grabbed SSU — it was pronounced from the stage, enthusiastic crowd chanted it, it was written on a posters and transparencies. 
Initially, grabbers of Luhansk SSU legitimizing their actions planned to use Lugansk regional council. A lot of deputies there were famous for their separatist beliefs. To this end on 11th April terrorists put forward ultimatum to Regional Council — within 10 hours to hold the next session and to declare sovereignty of “Luhansk People’s Republic”. Also, separatists demanded from Regional Council in term of 9 days to hold the “referendum of self-determination”. However, no session of the regional council was not held. Date of “referendum” of proclaiming of “LPR” was defined on 21st of April, when separatists on meeting near SSU appointed their own “people’s governor” — Valeriy Bolotov. Then they decided that first stage of Luhansk “referendum” will be held at the same time with Donetsk, May 11. There will be submitted a question about the status of Luhansk region: will it remain the same or Luhansk region will become an “autonomy”? On a second referendum on May 18 there were plans to determine it’ll be the autonomy within Ukraine or within RF. Starting from April 28 actions of separatists intensified — at that day they proclaimed “LPR”, a day later they grabbed once again the building of Regional Council. After capturing, on April 29, “pro-Russian” activists reported to media (mostly to Russian) about their intention to hold a referendum on May 11. “The point of no return” In a history of Luhansk separatism a landmark day become the 5th of May, 2014. That time in the conference room of the Lugansk City Council “people’s governor” Valeriy Bolotov and ex-presidential candidate Oleg Tsarev (later — the head of parliament of defunct «Novorossiya») gathered representatives of local self-government. 
Except the deputies of local Councils such event was visited by two deputies of Ukraine from the Lugansk region — Sergey Gorokhov Vladimir Struk. City authorities was presented by the first deputy of mayor of Lugansk Manolis Pilavov (now he is the «mayor of capital of “LPR»). 
During a meeting of “chiefs of separatism” the deputies of different levels were confronted with the necessity to prepare for referendum May 11, on which must be sounded a question: “Do you support the Act on the state independence of “Luhansk People’s Republic”? Representatives of local government supported this idea. Nobody said any words against of this “project”. This was a method to get in own separatist hands the administrative resource, required for organization of continued farce, called “referendum”. And in the same time so-called “people’s council” was formed from the participants of event. This staff engaged the preparing to upcoming referendum. It was headed by head of the Department of Transport of the City Council , a Communist Andrei Andreev.
This anticorruption Department was endowed with a fairly broad powers — participants of event decided that “people’s council” included will control the activities of Luhansk regional state administration and its chairman.
Also, a present people decided about resubordination to “people’s governor” Bolotov of all militant structures of the region. At the end of event Bolotov presented the structure of so-called Central Election Commission. In that day on the site of Luhansk regional council appeared a statement from the name of deputy housing, in which was talked about supporting of referendum of 11th of May.
“We support the initiative of inhabitants of Luhansk region about holding the referendum about status of Luhansk region, according to requirements, adopted at the gathering of our territorial communities of the region”. — was written in a document. Even a statement of Putin, the president of RF of May 7 about removing of the referendum, didn’t stopped separatists.
The inaction of the central government and assistance of local authorities
“Bloody Kiev junta” looked at preparing through a pink glasses, like “whatever”. Representatives of central authority only limited by proclamations about illegal holding of referendum. Besides, the access to voter register was blocked. But attempt to rip plans of separatists failed. They used the list of voted, which was on parliament elections 2012. There were registered 1 million 830 thousands of voters at that moment.
According to another data (Lugansk branch of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine) there weren’t any list of voters at all — data from passports were rewrite into copybooks, which were the “real lists”. As it was said earlier, local authorities were contributed to organization of referendum. As soon as possible on hall territory of the region were made the electoral commission and printed «ballots».
Ballots didn’t had any security and was printed on usual paper of format F5.
Invites for referendum glued on a accesses and also was placed on a billboards and informational boards. Today, in a private conversation a lot of people, who visited referendum of May 11 remember that agitation of that time came to one thing — Luhansk and Donetsk regions will enter into the structure of RF like Crimea. State employees and pensioners will get Russian salaries and pensions and Russian will protect the Donbass people from insurgents of “Right sector”, who are ready to begin from February punitive operation. Any of alternative points of view wasn’t represent on a territory of Luhansk — practically all central media stopped their job. Local journalists were forced to operate “underground” or saving from pursuit to expose their materials to a hard self-censorship.
Checkpoint day
May 11 at 8 o’clock am in settlements of Luhansk region, controlled by representatives of “LPR” polls were opened and long-awaited “referendum” began. But not all polls opened their doors: from one side it happened from low organization level on a places, from another isto provide to Russian media necessary picture — big queue of people who has a great big wish to vote for “people’s republic”.
There weren’t international observers, because of neither Ukraine, nor European Union and USA didn’t recognized the legitimacy of it. Even Russian Federation didn’t send the official observers. Separatists had a big wish to “connect” Luhansk region to Russia. Ukrainian journalists were absent there too. They didn’t wish to get the accreditation from “South-East army”, because of understandable reasons.
Voted took part from 8 o’clock am till 8 o’clock pm. Somewhere it was continued for a few hours. In a part of settlements soldiers of National guards and representatives of local self-defence could disrupt the vote, without conceding machines with ballots or pick them up and dispersed the so-called » commissions». Such facts according to an application of head of “The Central Election Commission of “LPR” Vasiliy Nikitin occurred in Belokurakino, Svatovo and Melovoe districts.
Polling stations also worked in a number of the cities of Russian Federation. From the beginning of voting organizators of “referendum” proclaimed about recordly high appearance. There wasn’t any opportunity to check their words, because of understable reasons. On May 12 already after the “referendum”, Valeriy Bolotov announced the results of will of inhabitants from the east of Ukraine. According to presented data 1 359 420 people took part in “referendum”, which consists 75,2% voters ofthe region. The independence of “republic” was ostensibly supported by 96,2% from the hall number of voters.
For those, who are far from realities of voting process, we can add, that such a big appearance of voters in Luhansk region wasn’t during a hall history of independence of Ukraine and a lot of specialists and ordinary people supposed this number incredible. The reaction of Ukrainian authorities and world community on holding of this referendum and its results was quiet predictable — it wasn’t recognized by anybody. “Referendum” wasn’t recognized also in Russian Federation. Press-service of Vladimir Putin limited with application that in Moscow the will of the population of Donetsk and Lugansk regions is respected. “In the interest of establishing such a dialogue, including OSCE line, any mediation efforts are welcome”.
Thereby, the question about holding the second stage of “referendum” dropped by itself and separatists, roll up their sleeves and began to build “a little Switzerland” in one separately taken region of Ukraine.
Alexei Chernov for informator.lg.ua