Officials backed by Russia there said voting began on Friday in Moscow-controlled areas of Ukraine on referendums to become part of Russia

The Kremlin-backed referendums, widely condemned by Ukraine and the West as sham votes with no legal force, are seen as a step towards annexation of the territories by Russia

Voting is taking place in the partially Russian-controlled regions of Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk

The vote, which asks residents whether they want their regions to be part of Russia, is sure to go Moscow's way. This would give Russia a pretext to claim that Ukrainian forces' attempts to regain control are attacks on Russia itself, significantly escalating the seven-month-long war.

The polling will last for five days until Tuesday

The referendums come after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization, which could add about 300,000 Russian soldiers to the fighting. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied false media claims of plans to call up as many as 1.2 million troops

As voting began in the occupied territories, Russian social media was filled with dramatic scenes of families crying as they said goodbye to men leaving military enlistment centers. In cities across the vast country, men hugged crying family members before departing as part of the recruitment

Meanwhile, anti-war Russian activists planned further protests against the mobilization

Election officials will transport ballots to people’s homes and set up temporary polling stations near residential buildings during the first four days of the referendums, according to officials installed by Russia in the occupied regions, citing safety reasons. Tuesday will be the only day voters will be called to regular polling stations

Polls also opened in Russia, where refugees from the occupied regions can cast their votes

Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai accused Russian officials of deleting the names of people who voted against joining Russia. In online posts, Haidai also claimed Russian officials threatened to break down the doors of anyone who refused to vote and posted pictures of what appeared to be abandoned polling stations. Edited by: Yusra Bamtaraf