Ukraine has promised today that it would never acknowledge “null and worthless” Russian referendums held in its seized territory and that it will continue to struggle for their liberation.
Despite fake elections held under duress by Russia that gave Putin the green light to annexe them, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson “remain the sovereign territory of Ukraine,” according to Kyiv’s foreign ministry.
In spite of the Kremlin’s threats to use nuclear weapons, the ministry continued, “Ukraine has every right to restore its territorial integrity by military and diplomatic measures, and will continue to free” its land.
According to reports, American senators have allocated an additional $12 billion in military and economic assistance for Ukraine, demonstrating their resolve to stand behind Kyiv despite Moscow’s sabre-rattling.
In the seized parts of Ukraine, Russian authorities said yesterday that 90% of the population had voted in favor of joining Russia, a conclusion that was not in dispute as armed troops collected the ballot boxes door-to-door.
Putin is anticipated to grant their request on Friday in a speech to the legislature, according to Kremlin puppets in the occupied territories who indicated they will beg permission to join Russia today.
Despite being without legal standing, the procedure will enable Putin to convince his own people that Ukraine is now attacking Russia rather than the other way around, beginning a dangerous new chapter in the war.
Speaking to the UN last night, President Zelensky said that peace talks with Putin were impossible while he was attempting to partition Ukrainian land.
“Russia’s acceptance of these fraudulent referendums as standard… will indicate that there is nothing to discuss with this Russian president,” he added.
His foreign ministry also denounced the Kremlin’s “armed actions and desperate measures to cling on to the temporarily controlled regions.”
It said, “Yet another Russian crime in the course of its war against Ukraine is forcing individuals in these lands to fill out some documents at the barrel of a rifle.”
Such activities gravely contravene Ukraine’s Constitution and Laws, International Law Principles, and Russian International Law Obligations. ‘
Moscow announced the results of the referendums its soldiers held in the last week in the seized regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, saying 90% of the population had chosen to join Russia.
Although there is no dispute about the legality of the ballots after seeing videos of Kremlin personnel carrying guns and knocking on doors with ballot boxes, it nevertheless represents a significant occasion since it offers Putin a justification for claiming the votes as belonging to Russia.
The dictator is anticipated to lie to his own people by claiming that Russia is now invading Ukraine rather than the other way around when he meets both chambers of parliament on Friday.
As a result, he now has a wider range of choices for reacting, including the use of nuclear weapons.
Last week, Putin threatened to use his nuclear weapons, and since then, his friends have reiterated the warning multiple times, including former president Dmitry Medvedev.
Following a Ukrainian counterattack to the east of Kharkiv that put Putin squarely on the back foot and put victory within its grasp, Russia held the referendums.
With a confusing combination of threats and escalation, the Kremlin now seems to be attempting to recover momentum.
Putin has also ordered the partial mobilization of Russia’s people in order to send 300,000 more soldiers to the front lines, in addition to referendums and nuclear sabre-rattling.
This has caused widespread internal turmoil, with demonstrations breaking out in several places, and thousands of people leaving the country to evade the conscription.
Experts think the draftees are unlikely to affect the outcome of the conflict, but films have shown that they are receiving minimal training or equipment before being sent to the front lines.
However, it looks like Putin is attempting to make it more difficult for the West to beat him so they give up trying rather than to win outright.
In light of this, two explosions yesterday severely damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines beneath the Baltic Sea, with Moscow the main suspect.
However, since the assault took them off surprise and evidence is still being collected, Western officials have refrained from condemning Russia explicitly to this point.