The Russian government seems poised to officially announce the annexation of four provinces in Ukraine after it claimed victory in the referendum vote that the western countries have been regarding as a “complete sham”. According to Reuters, giant video screens and billboards were set up in Moscow’s Red Square on Wednesday which claimed – “Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson – Russia!”.
President Vladimir Putin has already made his intentions clear of not backing out of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine by initiating partial military mobilisation in the country. With the Russia-backed governments claiming victory in the provinces, it seems likely that Putin will soon officially announce the annexation.
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“The results are clear. Welcome home, to Russia!”, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said on Telegram after reports of “massive wins” in the referendum.
The Kremlin also claimed that there was a “huge turnout” in the votes held across the four provinces and the enthusiasm was similar to the annexation of Crimea back in 2014.
However, this narrative has been completely rejected by the United States and western countries who have decided to recognise the results of the referendum. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again appealed to the global powers to continue their support and reject this vote completely.
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“Thank you all for your clear and unequivocal support. Thank you all for understanding our position,” Zelensky said in a late-night video address following the claims made by Russia.
There was some good news for Ukraine too on Wednesday as the US announced a new weapons package worth $1.1 billion to help them in the war effort. According to CNN, the package will include 18 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers along with counter-drone systems.
