The White House asserts that Russia is preparing plans to annex further areas of Ukraine and that it intends to utilize the same strategy it employed to take Crimea in 2014 to do so.
According to John Kirby, the communications coordinator at the US National Security Council, the actions Russia is preparing to take could include “sham” referendums, the appointment of illegitimate proxy officials, the adoption of the Russian Ruble as the nation’s official currency, and compelling Ukrainian citizens to apply for Russian citizenship.
The US and its Western allies have sought to turn around momentum in Ukraine as Russia makes gains in the Eastern and Southern part of the country. Biden has approved billions in arms shipments and other security assistance and applied several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Kirby has warned the US would punish Russia with additional sanctions for attempts to further annex Ukrainian territory, and said the White House would unveil additional security assistance to Ukraine later this week..
Kirby cited US intelligence that had been downgraded and approved for public release to make the claims about Russia’s plans.
“Russia is beginning to roll out a version of what you could call an annexation playbook, very similar to the one we saw in 2014,” Kirby told reporters at the White House. He said the potential referenda could take place soon.
“The Kremlin has not disclosed the timeline for the referenda, but Russian proxies in these territories claim they will take place later this year, possibly in conjunction with Russia’s September regional elections,” Kirby said, listing the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, along with the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, as likely targets of Russia’s annexation plans.
