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President of the imperialist state of Russia, Vlademir Putin today gave a speech in which he announced two things. One is that a so-called referendum is to be held in the occupied areas, the other is that part of the reserve force is to be called up.

Referendum to create some form of legitimacy of annexation

The so-called referendum will be held soon and is in reality decided in advance. This “referendum” has no other function than to legitimize the stealing of another country’s territories. That’s how I see it, there are two reasons for this. It is to create a calm among the loud warmongers in Russia who believe that Russia has been too cautious. The second is to incorporate these areas into Russia in order to be able to claim that Ukraine is attacking Russian territories, in order to legitimize the use of nuclear weapons or carpet bombing of Ukrainian cities. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says this about the so-called referendum:

Any elections or referenda on the territory of Ukraine can only be announced and conducted by legitimate authorities in compliance with national legislation and international standards. Therefore the planned “referenda” will be illegal.

As the war following the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine continues, any so-called “referenda” planned by or with the support of the forces illegally exercising de facto control in the occupied territories of Ukraine would be in contravention of international standards and obligations under international humanitarian law, and their outcome will therefore have no legal force.

Mobilization of reserve forces

By mobilizing the reserve forces, Russia admits that the war has not gone as expected. In Russia, the war is portrayed as the Russians actually fighting NATO forces. The allegations are probably to try to increase nationalism and support for the war internally in Russia.

The rhetoric is dangerous and contributes to fueling the conflict further. It is more important than ever to respond to Russia’s aggression, first by providing them with the weapons systems they demand. It is also important to respond to Russia’s aggression towards NATO when it is most likely to happen sooner or later. A conflict between Russia and NATO is becoming more and more likely.

Sources:

OSCE heads condemn the plan to hold illegal “referenda” in occupied territories of Ukraine | OSCE

War in Ukraine: Fact-checking Russian claims that Nato troops are fighting in Ukraine – BBC News