ah ah, as the 2nd day of voting begins, archie continues with special coverage of the ongoing referendums and don bath, zapper, she and her song on whether to join russia with international observers monitoring the event system to see this is a historic day for don boss, i've been covering this issue since 2014, therefore, i know very well with the feelings of the people are here. having survived torture and paying 55 military personnel from russia and don bass republic had come back home after their nightmare and you premium captivity. with they'd beat me

with the chair, kicked me and hit me with the mark. they'd beat me because of a broken chair. they said your cattle, you broke our chair and they started hitting me on the head again. the jab me with all sorts of needles in my ear and my nose just to mock me. and her rock a legislator insist on holding the u. s. accountable after american soldiers there allegedly kill a 15 year old girl working in the field with her from moscow to the world. this is archie international, i'm rachel blood. and these are the top stories of this, our, the 2nd day of voting on whether to join russia has just started. we bring you special coverage as a historic referendums from don bass and to other regions. ah

ah ah, the referendums are being held here and then don, ask elegance people's republics as well as in the her son and zap hiroshi reagan's now back in 2014 gun ask and the guns voted to declare themselves independence after they refused to recognize the qu, and t, as in areas, there are international observers that are monitoring the voting process. here's one from italy who gave his impressions at the end of the 1st day. was that a shot?

start at a see. this is a historic day for don boss. i've been covering this issue since 2014, therefore, i know very well with the feelings of the people are here, and how many people want to return to russia. today, i had the opportunity to visit the polling stations. i was surprised how everything was in order. i was surprised how the authorities of the don escrow public protecting care about security. i saw how mobile groups went from house to house. i did not see any legal violations complete freedom. i walked took pictures. no one forbade me from anything. i have already sent my materials to the italian media. i have not seen any coercion of the people just earlier i spoke with our correspondence and and on bass eager is it on up in the concert republic and roman closer up in the done escrow. public asked how that though is going well. the 1st day of the referendum turned out to be a pretty successful, according to the election capacity. as a nearly a quarter of the population of the nes people's republic turns out to vote to join

a russia in this referendum. now, according to international observers into the election committee, there were no violations recorded during this vote. and the in general now i joined us, one of the mobile groups on friday walked around the wood, them from house to house. and generally it was quite a festive mood among those people who were a voting. they were telling me that finally this day has it arrived and some will said that we wished as they would have come a sooner. nevertheless, we voted one of the streets that we owe walked on. there were at least 80 people who cast their ballots and all of them said yes said to the referendum, the reason i know that because they are quite open about their choice. now also, according to local officials, a call centers that were established for this referendum. we received

a lot of calls where people were asking how when the mobile groups would arrive to their home so that they could vote. now once again, the referendum will be held over 5 days. the 1st day has already passed. weird is seconds a now. so a 3 more days will have a voting done with the mobile groups. and on the last day, on the 27th of september, people will turn out to polling stations for the final day of the referendum. meanwhile, this is the old done while ukrainian nationalists continue shelling the city of the nest. continue terrorizing local residents trying to disrupt the referendum francis stop that them from a voting nevertheless. a voting continues on on a friday, at least at $200.00 various caliber shells has landed in the city of done as calmly as current sanction. those were of various calibers including of those that are supplied by nato countries. now,

air defense say here in the center of the nest was operating all day as well. we would hear our shots every 5 minutes or so. so that means a green in ashley's were once again trying to target the center of the city. unfortunately, another day ah, has gone by and not without some casualties. a one man was killed on the outskirts of the nest. can the 2 more civilian women were wounded? let's bring in our cheese, eager as you are now, was in august for public for us. now igor, what is the 2nd day looking like there so far this? well, this region, this country, it trails just behind its neighbor, the nets, people's republic with over 20 percent of all the population that have decided to cast their ballots during the 1st day, according to the official information that is just short over 300000 people and of course, it sounds like a like

a large number because both because it is. but one thing to understand about the vote here is that there are no a polling stations in their traditional sense or over the word. so you can't come to a school or any other place or, well, that is stationary and well cast your vote. instead, the authorities here the hey, they have opted for the mobile polling booths that look like a well regular bus that arrives at a designated location at a designated time and all locals, all our local citizens. they have the opportunity to well, have their say, and that was done over safety concerns. now my colleague roman casa, has already talked about her all sorts of calibers of shelves that landed in the nets here in la guns. can the capital of the august people's republic yesterday, it was quite quiet. and our, everyone, they sorta had a sigh of relief at the end of the day, but own plenty of neighboring little towns and villages. they were also shelled by

the key forces that are trying to, well basically they are trying to disrupt the referendum to make it not happen to frighten people into, to scare them into obedience and into not voting. and again, are this region, it has, well, it has a walked a whole long walker of a to years towards today. towards this a vote, we've talked to some of the locals and many of them, many of them were old enough to vote back in 2014 when the key of forces when cave basically while it declared war on its own people and started shelling, started up fighting with it, so again, with its own people with the citizens here, when they had to mobilize themselves and that in suda, what is happening today that ensued the war that we're witnessing right now. this is what this is what caused it. and so many of them, they had hoped that back in 2014, that was it. that was the decisive moment. that was the stand they had to make to

join russia or at least break away from ukraine after well after the who are in key of but that didn't happen. many of them that were unhappy, many of them were visit, visibly disturbed by this turn of events. but all of them were relieved and they were set and they were hopeful that this vo, this 5 day vote, will finally bring. what are the vote back in 2014 didn't or so they put a lot of hope to the pro pin a lot of hope to the process here. and so during the 5 day period, of course, the 5th day will be when the polling booths open here. this is what they're hoping for. this is a, this is basically what they're saying, that they will finally be able to join russia and all sorts of opportunities that they expect that they will come to their to their doorsteps. the 2nd day a voting also began her song ends up or she regions the 1st day i saw

a military and police presence there to ensure security and suite for explosive. before residents arrived that com does. there have been a number of terror attacks on local officials prior to the referendum, but despite the potential threats, people continue to cast their ballots. yep, the ssl is the revolution. i believe that only with russia will be able to revive our region, raise the economy, medicine education, revise the industries that her son region was famous for in soviet times and give a new impetus to our economy. i cast my vote for joining russia. montagnier from omit finally, we are together finally well is home with the motors excellence high altered for russia for my home, for my mother. last actually young session. i want to come back home. i just want to come back home to some sort of little more of them is on. it's always been a russian city. they say that for a person, the native language is the one in which his mother read fairy tales for him in

childhood. they read to me in russian. there is still of course, a lot of fear, a lot of apprehension. there has been a campaign of terror conducted by ukrainian national suddenly ukrainian government against people here to dissuade them from joining or from voting in this ref. friend of, as you mentioned, election officials and the other officials were targeted. they were harassed, they were threatened. their property houses, cars. oh, well we'll vandalized what damage. some of them were killed by ukrainian nationalists. car bonds planted again to disrupt any potential referendum here in kennesaw in region. nevertheless, 15 percent of the population came out yesterday and cast their vote, which is to be honest with you. more than many people thought would come out on the 1st day. it is certainly common now because people saw that everything pass her everything passed calmly that there were no incidents previously. you can in ashes

that want people to stay out of losing stations for their own safety, presumably threatening to plod bonds of food, have stations. none of that pond out there is very heavy security checks along the way. people came in yesterday, sometimes of where voting stations was set up at a business as a big factories other times in schools, and people from the streets would come in ones and twos and casa votes. so 50 percent of the population has now voted more, are expected to, to turn out in the 4 days ahead, including today. now that they've seen that there have been new incidence now that they've seen of it is been violence free. not entirely. that is to say over the nice we saw and filmed id add defense me self streaking up into the scott, presumably to intercept ukrainian. missiles here saw like no other province that is conducting the,

the referendum was targeted by american high mas miss us almost every day. have sun city all its outskirts, a strike again and again and again. and this is unfortunately, the reality of the situation. there's nothing that can be done about that. the referendum is, is being conducted in more time and people are used to that. nevertheless, new incidents. there are also foreign observers here, americans and, and from france, observers, we haven't talked to them yet, but we're planning on doing so and finding out how, how they see this referendum going on and how, how, what they plan to report about this. this referendum again, sundays, expect it to be the big day when more and more people come after that is of course, if the situation remains somewhat carbon of people she and are confident that they will be targeted if they give to a voting station. meanwhile,

here are some people in a city, a nice, hopeful, and his opera. she region voted on the referendum. i'm tired of this ukrainian democracy. i want stability. what else would you choose? i was one of the 1st to receive a russian passport. every day you expect something bad from the government of ukraine. every one horrible to be in russia's here, he'll get. everything will be fine with us. everything will be great. i was looking forward to this very much when russia comes and will be with us and we will be them . i expect only good things here at our facility, every one votes, every one wants to vote, every one is in a good mood. several events were held across to russia to support the referendums, and don bass then includes. the city had camera and central russia, as well as moscow worth. thousands of people gathered near red square waving flags and banners. there was also a rally and grows named the capital of the chechen republic and southern russia.

the events are being attended by representatives of public associations, political parties and civil activist. now, meanwhile, western countries had condemned the referendums, calling them undemocratic biscuit. and after years of selective policies towards the self determination of people, as archie contributor rachel marston, explains, western officials clearly don't support these people when ukraine having the opportunity to exercise their right to self determination is guaranteed under international law. you as a master ukraine, bridget, brink and nato secretary general jens built in burg, called them quote sham referendums. and the european union's chief diplomat use a burrell, dismiss them as quote, illegal referendums, which are quote, in violation of ukraine's independence sovereignty and territorial integrity. and a blatant breach of international law when territorial integrity comes in conflict with self determination. it's apparently the people's will. that matters most. at

least that's what the position was. the western officials had towards coast those independence. that is, after nato had bombed yugoslavia and carved out kosovo from russian allied serbia, under the pretext of protecting its ethnic minority sounds. a lot like the justification for the referendums now in these ukrainian regions whose people have suffered under kim's attack since 2014. but unlike with the current situation, ukraine, the international community at that time agreed that coast those minority shouldn't have to live under systemic oppression. today our armed forces joined our nato allies and airstrikes against serbian forces responsible for the brutality and kosovo. oh, what i'm really proud of is what we did in class. so i really found it very difficult to watch when people were being killed at pleasure to united states would continue to work with those nations that have not recognized and independent kosovo, to convince them to do so as quickly as possible. so apparently the western

position only favors self determination if it harms their enemy and benefits the west. another example, what about of time and decided to hold a referendum to succeed from china tomorrow? it's hard to imagine that the westwood, denounce it, and argue instead that the taiwanese have to respect the one china policy that the west supports. all, all egging on tie pe, provoking beijing and using taiwanese chinese relations and tensions as a pretext to rock up sales for the u. s. military. industrial complex. referendums are all equal in the eyes of the west. the democracy exercise by catalonia, in its bid for independence in 2017 from spain, was denounced by most of the you, under the spanish constitution. yes, there these vote got the lonia was not to be go. countries like france, italy, germany and the u. k. were more interested at the time in what a vote in favor of independence for catalonia could mean for their own countries as

they struggled to contain independence movements on their own territories. in other words, these people over here are fighting for their own democratic self determination. but how does that affect me? that's what they were doing. as for madrid, it came down to a question of revenue loss as colonia, with just 16 percent of spain's population. also counts for 19 percent of its gdp. another referendum may be looking on the horizon in scotland as separate a sentiment has festered since edinburgh voted to reject independence in 2014. but the u. k is new as prime minister list truss isn't keen on permitting a 2nd round. perhaps she's concerned that the result won't be the same. if i am elected as prime minister, i will not allow another. independent trust brings up the notion of family, but apparently isn't interested in acknowledging similar family style bonds that link the rus of phone ukrainian regions to russia. the western hypocrisy and double

standards of defending democratic principles to self determination only if and when it suits them, hasn't escaped the attention of the scottish leadership. if she governs us, she has campaigned over the summer, she will be a disaster, not just for scotland, but for all of the you key. there's a tendency to denigrate or block referendums that don't suit the western agenda. but when the irish vote to ratify the lisbon treaty, that is the use constitution establishing a centralized leadership and foreign policy failed the 1st time. while that didn't prevent them from being allowed to vote a 2nd time to secure the desired result. similarily the dutch vote to do in a referendum in 2016 against the you having closer links to ukraine, but that didn't prevent the country's parliament for voting against the people's will. a year later, apparently it was enough to say that, well, hey, they were asked. so given the tendency of western officials to cherry pick the

referendums, they support or don't, in accordance with their political agendas, while they're hardly in a position of high moral authority to be telling anyone, seizing the opportunity for self determination, what is or isn't a legitimate professor at the institute of european studies and bell, great stephen guy inch told us that western reactions to the referendum should not matter to russia. and especially to the people who are determining their future. i don't see what kind of other sanctions are going to be imposed. i mean, west is a fully involved in a proxy war. it is arming one of the sides heavily and i think that there will be increased protest similar to what we've seen in 2014 with the frame in case. but i don't really see any kind of

escalation that we haven't seen so far. of course, the west will be very disappointed and there will be a lot of a lot of, i would say, a vein barking by the politicians that are already discredited within their own societies. but i don't believe that russia and especially people who live in these areas should be particularly worried about the western reaction. i think that they should be concentrated on the future. i had them and rebuilding alive and of course of the infrastructure that was shattered. and of course the rebuilding of a functioning side of the awesome new trauma that started out with the euro. my done, if not even with the breakup of the soviet union in 1991 will keep you updated with

all the latest news as saturday marks the 2nd day of voting for millions of residence. ah, finally, after a long separation from relatives military personnel from russia and the don bass republics who've been in ukrainian captivity returned home parties. maria finish not talk to some of the service men who shared their stories of torture. a happy day for what had been some very anxious families as 55 military personnel from russia and the dunbar. republics, sons and husbands, father's and brothers, who had long been held in ukrainian captivity have come back home, fight zebra storms. either he is in life that they returned. my son to me, thanks everyone. god bless. sadly one,

we are proud of him. we were afraid to lose you. not that we believe we knew that he would return to her. we prayed every morning and every evening the old lady was waiting for it. everyone was waiting for him. all the relatives, his wife was very boring. we are very worried. it's the latest i'm so far, the largest prisoners of war exchanged between moscow and keith since the beginning of the russian offensive in february, and both sides a hail and in a success, summer room. the most important thing is that they didn't leave us there. when we were there, there was a sense that no one wanted us in our country, but you see how it turned out. our guys quickly took us away quickly pulled a sound. i'm on the 215 key of prisoners. the allied forces traded for the men were at 5 notorious as old battalion commanders. but it was a freedom at any price steal them. they said that no one was worried about you and your country will not exchange you accept rest. but we believe that would be an

exchange. we'd just believe you. of course, i'm happy that i am in russia modem. i'd like to thank those who were involved in the exchange that had happened to winnipeg. i hope that the rest of all people we taken out of bed and they will also be at home for the most important thing for me now. which is to see my family, friends, wife. no, i haven't seen her since january or school. we signed our marriage certificate and i just left right away. sometimes i talked to her via video link, but basically i haven't seen her in almost a year. plan of the many foreigners who've been fighting on kia side were also released 5 bridge citizen to americans and fighters from the rocco, sweden and croatia. some of the released prisoners who spent months in captivity talk about torturing humiliation, and also confirmed that more and more foreigners are fighting on ukraine's side numbers for yellows. dubuque, yes, they stood armed with clubs from the very beginning. they began to beat me with a bass on unused electric shocks. then with every incorrect answer or action i said,

or did they shocks me, beat me with a bass on all my legs until i had bruises or 2 at the understood what for what if they beat me with a chair, kicked me and hit me with the mongrel they beat me because of a broken chair. they sent her to cattle. we broke our chair and they started hitting me on the head again as much as the jagged me with all sorts of needles. my ear, my nose, just a mark mean to crash, but the most on the home with a veronica, they threatened me with a knife, then they threw me into a pickup truck and we drove off similar. another 15 people ran up there and they started taking pictures with me to play my look at their they caught an orc and occupier took pictures and filmed the videos. they lifted me by the head and took pictures, will face the what it was clear from their voices that there were not only ukrainian staircases, a foreign speech was heard. arabic speech was heard someone after that, they took pictures with me there while they continued to beat me to put a knife to my eyes to see if they put an i to my groin. he said, we will cut everything off of you. now, if you will not confess,

phonemic with the holes. they also explain why capturing members of the russian military, he's such a desired trophy for those fighting for keith expense, thought. and this is what on line is that they are nancy's not the armed force. denazi's received money for the military prisoners, for surgeons. it's about $300.00 for officers after thousands being, although his former prisoners released during this recent exchange are currently being treated in various russian hospitals. if military dr. commissions decide be our feet. the service men may soon return to the front lines, raving ocean on naughty moss region. iran is dealing with mass riots organized both by supporters of the government and those who are protesting police brutality. the demonstrations are in response to the news that a young woman died in custody after being arrested by the country's morality police allegedly breaching strict rules of worry he job police and says she had a heart attack saying their treatment had nothing to do with her death. however,

the family claimed she didn't have any health issues, and demonstrators believe that 22 year old mazda mini was beaten there, now demanding justice for her, and burning police stations, and vehicles and several cities, as well as porting who jobs and public. the pro government supporters took to the streets in response, calling for the execution of the protesters, calling them quote, israel soldiers. meanwhile, in iraq, a legislator has called on the countries authorities to hold the u. s. accountable for the killing of a 15 year old girl, allegedly hit by a stray bullet fired by an american soldier. he says, the sounds on the issue is disrespectful and that the nearby weapons room should be shut down. after the teenage girl was killed by a bullet fired during u. s. military exercises near they base outside of baghdad. the u. s. embassy has not bother to issue an official apology for the just incident. the death which

occurred as a result of the use of life routes to were military drill, snow residential neighborhoods, exhibits an outrageous disregard for the iraqi blood and a blatant disrespect for the country sovereignty. the incident occurred earlier this week on a farm situated near the baghdad international airport, where american military forces regularly conduct girls, family and friends, are convinced that us soldiers are to blame for the tragedy. the now houses in the vicinity of the human race, john and there's no amity between her family and anyone in the area. and i did on the, on the soldiers station, outside baghdad and me dot army and she got shot black haul was in that stable. i told them on the market much oh, here, wildly and, and that, you know, parents, judge and mother, all they wanted to do was to leave in the rock peacefully. but that was in vain for what i mean really in the middle of our village appeal dozens of times about is

this place is a populated area with residents, farmers and their livestock. oh ever. we got no responses from the authorities except for cause to leave the area we don't like out via we endured a lot because of the intensity of the shooting, which kept us locked in our homes. recently i lost my brother who's left 7 children orphans, and now i've lost my grand daughter. she's the case brings at the double standards in the western media, which in contrast to the coverage of the recent killing and neighboring iran, have ignored the death of the teenager. in iraq, co director of the international action center, sarah flounder says that the location of the incident makes it even more significant. this is an ending. it's outrageous. and this latest killing of a young, 15 year old student working in her father's field is just so late is absolute outrage. most outlay just as the that took place in abu graham. now that

is his sight of the notorious torture prison. nothing less than a huge you as grace and a giant prison camp for iraq prisoners that people around the world. so those who lenders pictures of what happened in that prison. the fact that they didn't close it down, that that base continues, and they continue with alive fire range. it's really pastime for us to get out of the u. s. military has been stationed in iraq since 2003 when america invaded under the pretext of combating terrorism recently in the countries prime minister address the un urging the states to stop using a rock as a site taken that terror. de leon, i reiterate the iraq schools for it's territories not to be used under the pretext of combating terrorism.