2 hours ago
source of photos, EPA-EFE / REX / Shutterstock
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With Ukraine controlling most of Donetsk and Zaporiza, it is unclear how a referendum on the annexation of Russia will be held.
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On the 20th (local time), four Russian-controlled locations in Ukraine – Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporiza – called for an urgent referendum on the annexation of Russia.
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In recent months, Russian forces have been at a standstill and Ukrainian forces have recaptured much of the territory in the northeast. As a result, pro-Russian forces in the east and south have stepped forward to immediately implement a vote on the annexation of Russia starting this week.
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Despite criticism from the international community, Russia has a history of annexing Crimea in the 2014 referendum on Russian annexation.
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Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin was supposed to deliver a public speech on the evening of the 20th, but a Kremlin source said the date of the speech was later postponed and the exact reason is unknown.
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On the same day (20), Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleva declared: “These stupid so-called ‘references’ will not change anything”.
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Although the international community has never acknowledged Russia’s annexation of Crimea, it is clear that Russia is looking to acquire other similarly occupied maps.
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There are also fears that the Russian annexation of more regions within Ukraine in this way could provide Russia with an excuse to claim that NATO weapons are attacking its territory.
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Amid speculations that Russia could issue a massive mobilization order to strengthen its presence in Ukraine, the Russian Federation has passed tougher sanctions for crimes such as desertion, destruction of military property, and mobilization and disobedience orders during combat operations. .
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Meanwhile, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian National Security Council, said on the 20th that holding a referendum in the Donbas region, which refers to the Lugansk and Donetsk regions, would restore “historical justice”.
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“If Russia’s constitution is also changed, no future Russian leader or bureaucrat will be able to overturn this decision,” he said.
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Shortly thereafter, the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR)” and the “Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR)”, declared by pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region, announced that they would hold a referendum on 23 and 27. On February 21, three days before Russia seriously invaded Ukraine, President Putin recognized the two powers as independent states.
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The Russian administration in the southern Kherson region has also announced it will hold a referendum, with similar plans in the Russian-occupied Zaporiza region.
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Russian state media reported that residents could vote in person or remotely.
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In recent months, the administrative authorities established by Russia have tried to hold a self-proclaimed “referendum”. However, there is no hope that such a vote will be conducted freely and fairly, and as the war continues, attempts to annex territories not fully under Russian control also seem unrealistic.
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In addition, the Ukrainian counterattack has made it increasingly difficult to conduct voting.
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Indeed, Russia has occupied most of Lugansk oblast since July, but on the 19th the Ukrainian military leader in Lugansk announced that he had recaptured Vilohorivka.
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The situation in eastern Ukraine at 21:00 GMT on the 19th. The area in purple is the reclaimed land of Ukraine.
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Although Russia occupied the Azov coast, most of Donetsk is still controlled by Ukraine.
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Furthermore, although Russia quickly occupied Kherson at the start of the war, Ukrainian forces also claimed some territories from Kherson and the administrative authorities established by Russia continue to be attacked. In response, Kherson recently attempted to hold a referendum on the annexation of Russia, but was delayed.
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In Zaporiza, most of the territory, including the capital Zaporiza, is still controlled by Ukraine.
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However, the international community widely recognizes the 2014 vote as illegal, and the Russian military retains control of Crimea despite the rejection of many residents.
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The Ukrainian army is now not far from Donetsk and the pro-Russian mayor of Donetsk said on the 19th that at least 13 people were killed in the bombing of Ukrainian artillery.
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As Russia attempts to annex Ukrainian-controlled territories, the Ukrainian leadership will be outraged and hopes of finding a solution through negotiations will diminish.
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Meanwhile, Ukrainian defense adviser Oleksi Kopitko said the voting scheme was “a sign of hysteria” on Russia’s part. That same night, President Volodymyr Zelensky also said that “the occupiers were clearly in a state of panic.”
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Furthermore, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called it “absurd” and French President Emmanuel Macron condemned it as “selfish behavior” and “mockery”, which certainly would not have been recognized by the international community. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also said it was illegal and “a growing form of Putin’s war”.
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Tatiana Stanovaya, a famous Russian analyst, said the transfer was “an obvious ultimatum” from Russia to Ukraine and the West and that if she did not respond appropriately, Russia could mobilize all its forces in war. .
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If the territories were annexed, they could assert the right to use weapons to defend what they consider their territory.
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In some regions of Russia there are growing calls to mobilize troops. Putin still describes the war as a “special military operation”.
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In the meantime, it seems likely that the Kremlin will support the holding of a referendum in the occupied territories. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: “From the start of the war, Russia has wanted the people to decide.
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