LONDON: The British Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin may announce the inclusion of occupied territories of Ukraine in the Russian Federation during his address to parliament on 30 September. The Defense Ministry said in its daily briefing on Twitter that the referendum currently underway in these regions is due to end on September 27. The British Defense Ministry said Russia’s leaders “certainly hope that any annexation announcement will be seen as a success of the special military operation and strengthen the country’s people’s support for the war”.
Referendum underway in four regions of Ukraine
Russia, along with its supporting factions, is holding referendums in four areas occupied by Ukraine. According to the report, Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to include about 15 percent of Ukraine in his country with the help of this referendum. This region is as large as Hungary, which includes Ukraine’s Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya provinces. However, Western countries are calling this move of Russia illegal and unilateral.
On Tuesday, Russian-established leaders in these regions of Ukraine announced a referendum, which many countries, including Ukraine, have refused to recognize. At the same time, voting is ending today in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya provinces, about 15 parts of Ukraine’s territory. Western countries fear that Russia will show results on its side and include a large part of Ukraine in its country. Let us tell you that under Putin’s grand plan to rebuild the Soviet Union, Russia also annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
