In Mariupol, “voting” at the so-called referendum on the entry of the “DPR” into Russia takes place in shops and cafes. Information about this appeared in local Telegram channels, it was also confirmed to The Insider by the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Petr Andryushchenko.
According to him, there are no voting booths in the "precincts". There are also no voters, at least voluntary ones. Andryushchenko emphasizes that Mariupol is the only large city in the Donetsk region with empty “polling stations”.
“Globally, we can say that there are no people there. Surely there are some isolated cases, but given the population in Mariupol, we can safely say that the sites are empty. There are no queues or crowds. Yes, they are not ready to accept anyone, there is a completely different method of election, ”the mayor’s adviser emphasized.
If people vote, they do it not of their own free will. People with machine guns walk around the city, they catch all passers-by and force them to take part in the "referendum". Representatives of the occupation authorities of Mariupol also practice door-to-door rounds. According to Andryushchenko, two Russian soldiers and two civilians walk around apartment buildings and the private sector. They call all the residents and if they do not receive a response, they ask the neighbors to pass on the necessary information.
Also, the mayor's adviser confirms the information that the occupation authorities are driving extras, consisting of collaborators, to the polling stations. At the same time, the Russian media, as Andryushchenko said, do not cover the “referendum” in Mariupol:
“The city has them, but there is no lighting from them. What could be covered, that is, reality and empty polling stations, they cannot cover. There is nothing to forge content on yet.”