The leader of the so-called "LPR" Leonid Pasechnik announced a "referendum" for joining Russia in the near future.

"I think that in the near future a referendum will be held on the territory of the republic, in which the people will exercise their absolute constitutional right and express their opinion on joining the Russian Federation. I am somehow sure that this is exactly what will happen," Pasechnik said.

As a reminder, on February 21, on the eve of the start of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the "independence" of the "LDPR" and signed the Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance with the so-called "republics."

The next day, the Kremlin clarified that it recognized the "LPR" and "DPR" to the extent that these "republics" "proclaimed themselves" in 2014 - that is, within the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine.

In early March, it became known that illegal armed groups began forcibly distributing "LNR" passports to local residents in Luhansk Region settlements captured by the enemy.