Russian forces strike Ukrainian cities while votes takes place in occupied areas

Two men pose for a photo in front of a motorcade organised to support voting in a Russian-backed referendum in Luhansk (AP Photo)

Russian forces launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities on Saturday as Kremlin-orchestrated votes took place in four occupied regions to create a pretext for their annexation by Moscow.

In cities across Russia, police arrested hundreds of people who tried to protest against a mobilisation order aimed at beefing up the country’s troops in Ukraine. Other Russians reported for duty, while the foreign minister told the UN General Assembly his country had “no choice” but to take military action against its neighbour.