Putin needs fake 'referendums' to prepare new territories for attacks - Poroshenko

He said this on the air of the German TV channel Deutsche Welle.

"First of all, this is definitely not a referendum. There is not a single vote from a real person, because it is impossible to organize a referendum of this scale in 48 hours. A normal referendum, please look at the experience of Switzerland, is prepared for several months or even years," Poroshenko noted.

"Secondly, I am absolutely sure that the Constitutional Court now considers the same as it did with regard to Crimea in 2014, during my presidency, namely that it is definitely unconstitutional," the fifth president recalled.

"Thirdly, this is a Russian trick to legitimize the presence of its troops and even more - to launch an attack, including possible nuclear weapons, from the territory seized by Putin in this fake referendum," Poroshenko warned.