It's a farce in Russia. They showed maps and everything came to light
The Kremlin apparently has not yet explained to its officials what exact Ukrainian territory Russia has annexed. A year after the illegal incorporation of occupied territories, this is causing confusion among the Russian government and officials - notes the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Oct 1, 2023 | updated: 9:06 AM EDT, October 5, 2023
Many pieces of information provided by Russian media or representatives of the government are elements of propaganda. Such reports are part of the information war waged by the Russian Federation.
On Saturday, September 30, in Russia, the anniversary of the "entry of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republic, Zaparozhye and Kherson regions" into Russia was ceremoniously celebrated.
Putin's speech and inconsistent narrative
The American think tank Institute for the Study of War notes that Russian President Vladimir Putin made a speech on this occasion, in which he repeated a formulaic rhetoric about the alleged international legitimacy of illegal referendums on the annexation by Russia. He also highlighted the role of residents who participated in the rigged referendums.
- This conscious, long-awaited, hard-fought and genuinely popular decision was made collectively - during referendums, in full respect of international standards. They showed courage and perseverance - Putin said about the inhabitants of the occupied territories.
Only, the Kremlin's narrative regarding the annexed Ukrainian territories is very inconsistent. ISW reports that the occupying governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, posted a "map on the occasion of the holiday, which presented the entire Crimea as well as the Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions as Russian territory" on his Telegram channel.
Meanwhile, the occupational administration of the Kherson region published another map, which represented the territory of Russia extending to the current front lines on the four most recently annexed territories.
The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, added his bit, stating that the war in Ukraine will continue until the "liberation of the original Russian territories".
"The ambiguous statement of Medvedev and the divergent maps of the occupying officials indicate that the Kremlin has not yet clarified which territories it claims to have annexed or intends to annex," - sums up the Institute for War Studies.
Source: Institute of War Studies
