Russian-occupied territories in eastern Ukraine announced referenda on whether to join the Russian Federation.
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Russian separatists have fought in the Donbas region, which consists of the self-identified Luhansk People’s Republic and Donetsk People’s Republic, since 2014, and Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the two regions as independent nations before his military invaded Ukraine in late February.
The two regions announced on Tuesday their intention to hold the referenda later this week. Russia’s military has lost significant territory in the area.
The Public Chamber of the Luhansk People’s Republic called for the referendum to happen “immediately,” adding that officials “are convinced that the initiative will be supported by the republic’s people and its accession to Russia will be a triumph of historic justice” in a statement to Russian state media outlet TASS. The chairman of the Donetsk People’s Republic’s Civic Chamber, Alexander Kofman, told the outlet, “The entire Donbass is looking forward to the referendum, and to joining the Russian Federation. It will make a big difference, which is long overdue for a change.”
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It’s unclear how the referenda will be held, considering Russian-backed forces control slightly more than half of the Donetsk region and Ukrainian forces are trying to take Luhansk, according to Reuters.
The referenda come as Russia has lost significant territory in the northeast this month, though Russian forces maintain overwhelming control of territory in the Kherson region in the south. Russian-installed leaders in the southern Kherson area also announced on Tuesday that they will hold a referendum on joining Russia.
The leader of the region’s military-civilian administration, Volodymyr Saldo, announced the referendum, which will also take place this week, saying on Telegram, “I call on all people living in the Kherson region to demonstrate consciousness and come to the referendum to make their historic choice in the name of wellbeing of our land and the future of our children.”
The White House has warned since the summer months that Russia could look to annex these territories.
“Russia is laying the groundwork to annex Ukrainian territory that it controls in direct violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty. You’re seeing ample evidence in the intelligence and in the public domain that Russia intends to try to annex additional Ukrainian territory. Russia is beginning to roll out a version of what you could call an annexation playbook,” National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby said on July 19. “Very similar to the one we saw in 2014.”
As Ukraine liberated cities in the northeast, specifically Izyum, they uncovered horrific scenes and alleged war crimes, similar to what they found after previously liberating cities like Bucha. Ukrainian officials found 445 unmarked graves and a mass grave containing the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers in Izyum, once again raising concerns that Russian forces were allegedly intentionally committing war crimes.
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Some Russian forces abandoned their “high-value equipment” as they retreated from the Kharkiv region, according to the United Kingdom’s Defense Ministry. Additionally, Russian forces are facing a recruitment problem, and the hasty retreat has cautioned others from joining.
The Wagner mercenary group, which has fought on Russia’s behalf in Ukraine, has sought to recruit 1,500 convicted felons to fight in Ukraine, “but many are refusing,” a senior U.S. defense official told reporters on Monday.
“We’re seeing the Kremlin increasingly straining to find new recruits to fill out their thin ranks,” the official continued. “And the Russians are performing so poorly that the news from Kharkiv province has inspired many Russian volunteers to refuse combat.”
