The spokesman for the United States National Security Council, John Kirby, warned that the White House has evidence that Russia plans to annex the Ukrainian territories it already controls, such as the Lugansk or Kherson regions.
Kirby explained that according to reports available to US intelligence, the Kremlin will appoint “illegitimate” officials in those regions of Ukraine that are already under its control to organize “fake referendums” on the accession of these areas to Russia.
The official also noted that Moscow intends to drive these plebiscites in the Jershon and Zaporiyia regions and especially in Donetsk and Lugansk, in the Dombas region, the newspaper gathered The Hill.
“Today we have information that we can share with you regarding how Russia is laying the groundwork to annex Ukrainian territory that it controls, in direct violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty,” Kirby said.
For Kirby, this would not be something new on the part of Russia, since Vladimir Putin already used the “annexation playbook” to incorporate the Crimean peninsula into Russian territory in 2014.
Finally, the spokesman acknowledged that Washington still does not have all the details regarding the dates that Moscow will follow, but has speculated that the votes for the accession of the Ukrainian territories to Russia might be held at the end of this year.
europa press/reuters/afp /rr