EXPLAINER: What’s behind referendums in occupied Ukraine?


              FILE - This photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Feb. 19, 2022, shows a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile being launched from an air field during military drills. In Wednesday's address to the nation, Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled his readiness to use nuclear weapons to protect the country's territory _ a blunt warning to Ukraine to stop pressing its offensive into the Moscow-controlled regions, which are set to be absorbed by Russia after hastily-called referendums. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File
            
              FILE - In this photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Sept. 8, 2022, Russian paratroopers are seen on a mission on the Nikolaev-Krivoy Rog direction in Ukraine. During the summer, when the Kremlin hoped for a quick capture of all of the Donbas region, local officials talked about organizing the votes in September. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File)
            
              FILE - In this photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Sept. 10, 2022, Russian soldiers prepare to fire from Msta-B 152.4 mm howitzer from their position at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. A day after the referendums were announced, Putin on Wednesday Sept. 21, 2022, ordered a partial mobilization of reservists to bolster his forces in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File)
            
              FILE - In this photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Sept. 19, 2022, members of a special forces unit of the Russian army aim their weapons in action at an unspecified location in Ukraine. A day after the referendums were announced, Putin on Wednesday Sept. 21, 2022, ordered a partial mobilization of reservists to bolster his forces in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File)
            
              FILE - Russian rockets launched against Ukraine from Russia's Belgorod region are seen at dawn in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Sept. 21, 2022. During the summer, when the Kremlin hoped for a quick capture of all of the Donbas region, local officials talked about organizing the votes in September. (AP Photo/Vadim Belikov, File)
            
              FILE - A Ukrainian national guard serviceman stands atop a destroyed Russian tank in an area near the border with Russia, in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Sept. 19, 2022. A swift Ukrainian counteroffensive earlier this month that forced Russian troops to retreat from broad swaths of the northeastern Kharkiv region has forced the Kremlin to rush absorbing Russia-held areas in Ukraine's east and south. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)
            
              FILE - A Ukrainian soldier inspects ammunition left by the Russian troops in the recently retaken area close to Izium, Ukraine, Sept. 21, 2022. A swift Ukrainian counteroffensive earlier this month that forced Russian troops to retreat from broad swaths of the northeastern Kharkiv region has forced the Kremlin to rush absorbing Russia-held areas in Ukraine's east and south. (AP Photo/Oleksandr Ratushniak, File)
            
              FILE - Ukrainian State Emergency Service firefighters work to take away debris at a shopping center burned after a rocket attack in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, June 28, 2022. Residents of Moscow-controlled regions in Ukraine are set to start voting Friday Sept. 23, 2022, on whether to join Russia in Kremlin-engineered referendums that set the stage for a sharp escalation of the nearly seven-month war. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)
            
              FILE - A firefighter walks at the scene of a building that was damaged by a deadly Russian missile attack in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, July 14, 2022. Residents of Moscow-controlled regions in Ukraine are set to start voting Friday Sept. 23, 2022, on whether to join Russia in Kremlin-engineered referendums that set the stage for a sharp escalation of the nearly seven-month war. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)
            
              FILE - A Ukrainian tank drives past a former Russian checkpoint in the recently retaken area of Izium, Ukraine, Sept. 16, 2022. A swift Ukrainian counteroffensive earlier this month that forced Russian troops to retreat from broad swaths of the northeastern Kharkiv region has forced the Kremlin to rush absorbing Russia-held areas in Ukraine's east and south. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File)
            
              FILE - A Donetsk People's Republic serviceman guards the polling station prior to a referendum in Donetsk, Donetsk People's Republic, controlled by Russia-backed separatists, eastern Ukraine, Sept. 22, 2022. Four occupied regions in Ukraine are set to start voting Friday in Kremlin-engineered referendums on whether to become part of Russia, setting the stage for Moscow to annex the areas in a sharp escalation of the nearly seven-month war. (AP Photo/File)
            
              FILE - In this image taken from video released by the Russian Presidential Press Service, Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he addresses the nation in Moscow, Russia, Sept. 21, 2022. Four occupied regions in eastern and southern Ukraine are set to start voting Friday Sept. 23, 2022, in referendums on whether to become part of Russia. (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP, File)
EXPLAINER: What’s behind referendums in occupied Ukraine?