Ingestion as in Crimea 2014
The Kremlin plans to connect Donetsk and Luhansk
05/03/2022, 00:01
According to US estimates, Russia wants to annex Ukraine as soon as possible with its self-proclaimed “People’s Republics”. A referendum is to be held to legalize this. The Pentagon believes the Kremlin will handle the results of the referendum.
According to US estimates, Russia wants to merge the self-proclaimed “People’s Republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine in the future. Michael Carpenter, the US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said Monday that Russia wants to hold a fraudulent referendum in mid-May on joining the two separatist areas in the Donbass.
A similar approach is planned in the southern Ukrainian region of Cherson, now controlled by Russia, where Moscow already wants to use the ruble as currency. Carpenter insisted that such fraudulent ballots were “not considered legal” – like the 2014 Ukrainian referendum on annexation of Crimea.
Referring to the credibility of US intelligence information about Russia’s plans, the ambassador said they were “very credible”. “Unfortunately, we were right rather than wrong in revealing (Russia’s) next steps.” A few weeks before the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the United States issued an urgent warning of the danger of Russian forces invading the neighboring country. Thus Washington faced suspicion from Western allies.
Russian troops are making “minimal” advances on the Donbass
On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would recognize the two separatist republics of Luhansk and Donetsk. Three days later, on February 24, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began. Following the failed attempt to overthrow the government in Kiev, the Russian military is focusing on southern and eastern Ukraine.
According to a US defense spokesman, Russian President Valery Gerasimov visited Donbass last week. He had stayed there “for several days” but may now have returned to Russia. Pentagon officials could not confirm reports that Gerasimov was wounded in the attack in Ukraine.
Earlier, Ukrainian officials were quoted as saying that the Ukrainian army had bombed a Russian command center in the town of Isiam, south of Kharkiv. Gerasimov met with Russian commanders there. It appears that he had already left the area during the Ukraine invasion.
A Pentagon official said Monday that Russia was making “minimal” progress in the Donbass. In this way, Russian soldiers would capture individual villages but regain control of the Ukrainian army.
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