Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine will hold a slew of sham elections to vote on joining Russia — all while Moscow strengthened its laws against desertion, an indication that the country may start calling up yet more troops for the seven-month-long war.
Russian puppet governments in the Luhansk, Donetsk and Kherson provinces — as well as what’s left of the Russian occupation in Zaporizhzhia — announced Tuesday that they will hold referenda by week’s end on becoming part of Russia.
The hawkish moves come after a surprise Ukrainian counterattack took back the Kharkiv province, made inroads in Luhansk, and forced a Russian retreat in recent weeks.
Russia already recognizes the two regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, which were occupied by separatists in 2014, as the self-styled Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics. Those regions held similar referenda in May 2014 to declare themselves autonomous states — votes which were widely seen by the community of Western democracies as illegitimate.
Rescue workers carry bodies from makeshift graves in Izyum, Ukraine. Paula Bronstein /Getty Images
Ukraine has accused Russian forces of burying civilians in occupied areas. AP Photo/Evgeniy MaloletkaThis week’s referenda would declare the Ukrainian territory as belonging to Russia, effectively expanding the nation’s borders in the eyes of the Kremlin.
The announcement came a day after former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev — currently deputy head of Russia’s Security Council — claimed such a vote would make the territories an “irreversible” addition to the country and allow Moscow to use “any means” to defend them.
“Encroachment onto Russian territory is a crime which allows you to use all the forces of self-defense,” Medvedev said on social media.
A man stands in a garage full of artillery shells left behind by Russian forces in Kamyanka, Ukraine. AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka
Local residents collect wood from a bombed school in Izyum, Ukraine. AP Photo/Evgeniy MaloletkaWhite House national security adviser Jake Sullivan called the referenda plans “an affront to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that underpin the international system.”
“Let me be clear,” he added, speaking at a press briefing Tuesday. “If this does transpire, the United States will never recognize Russia’s claims.”
The Russian rhetoric hints at a move by the Kremlin to cast aside the lie that what is happening in Ukraine is a limited “special military operation,” and possibly gird the nation for a broadening of the conflict.
Residents rush for humanitarian aid in Izyum, Ukraine, on Sept. 19, 2022. AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka
Russian forces destroyed a bridge across the Siverskiy-Donets river in Izyum, Ukraine. AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka
Russian separatist governments are holding last-ditch referenda as Ukrainian forces close in on occupied territories. REUTERS/Gleb GaranichThe announcement was made as Russian lawmakers rushed a bill through the Duma to stiffen penalties against desertion and impose a 10-year prison sentence on any soldier who “voluntarily surrenders.” The legislative body also approved a measure imposing a 10-year prison sentence on anyone who refused to fight.
The laws were widely seen as preparation for a general mobilization order that would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to draft troops into his army.
Putin has been reticent to do so in recent months, preferring to draw soldiers from the Russian outskirts and satellite states.
With Post wires
