"People are grabbed (by Russian soldiers) right on the street and forced to vote, not only for themselves but for their whole families. When they (the soldiers) enter a rental house with the tenant inside, they make him vote for every person registered in that particular building."
Fedorov said that passage through the Vasylivka crossing, the only official way to reach territory controlled by Kyiv, had been closed to men aged 18-35 for four days and was completely shut on Sunday.
Reuters was unable immediately to independently verify the status of the crossing or the situation in Melitopol.
The referendums on becoming part of Russia were organised hastily after Ukraine recaptured large swathes of the northeast. Russia's parliament could move to formalise the annexations within days.
