"An attack on the liberated territories after the referendums will mean an attack on Russia with all its consequences," the Deputy Speaker of the Russian Federation Council, Konstantin Kosachev, Report informs, citing the Russian press.
"After the referendum, it will be our duty, not our right, to protect the people here. From now on, the opinion of the West will not be taken into account," he said.
On September 23-27, it is planned to hold a referendum in the occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced partial mobilization to the nation today. Russian Defense Minister General Sergey Shoigu said that 300,000 people in reserve will be called up to the army as part of the partial mobilization.