Topline
A Russian-backed local official in the southern Ukrainian Kherson region said Wednesday he plans to formally seek for the Russian government to annex the region and the Kremlin hinted it may welcome such annexation.
A ceremonial wreath sits in the streets of Kherson as Russian army soldiers stand near their trucks … [+]
Key Facts
Russian state-run news agencies quoted Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of Kherson’s Russian-installed administration, saying he plans to appeal directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin to annex Kherson and turn it into a “proper region of the Russian Federation.” according to the Associated Press’ translation of his comments.
Many have expected annexation to mark the next stage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Mike Carpenter, said last week U.S. intelligence suggests Russia may use “sham referenda” to annex the Kherson region and other areas in southern and eastern Ukraine as soon as this month.
Stremousov said he will ask not for a referendum but for an official decree declaring Kherson a part of Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov addressed the issue of annexing Kherson Wednesday, telling reporters it would require a similar process to the Crimean peninsula Russia forcibly annexed from Ukraine in 2014, according to the state-run TASS news agency, though he declined to confirm if Russia is open to accepting the plea from Kherson’s administration.
Key Background
A port city and economic hub on the Black Sea with a pre-war population of nearly 300,000, Kherson fell to Russian forces in early March. The Russian defense ministry claimed full victory in the city and its surrounding region April 26. Carpenter said Russia may also try to annex the pro-Kremlin Donetsk and Luhansk separatist states in Ukraine’s Donbas region. Annexing the regions would give Russia an unencumbered land bridge from its mainland to Crimea.
Chief Critic
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, criticized the suggested annexation of Kherson, tweeting, “The invaders may ask to join even Mars or Jupiter.”
Further Reading
Why capturing Ukraine’s Kherson is important for Russia (Al Jazeera)
Pro-Russia Authorities In Ukraine’s Kherson Say Will Seek Annexation (Barron’s)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2022/05/11/will-russia-annex-kherson-from-ukraine-next-kremlin-and-local-authorities-lay-groundwork/