Posted on 05/11/2022 9:28:06 AM PDT by blam
Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti news agency is reporting for the first time Wednesday that the Russian military occupied southern Ukrainian city of Kherson will soon petition the Kremlin to become part of the Russian Federation.
It was in late April that a pro-Moscow “military-civilian administration” was installed after Kherson fell to the invading forces, complete with a local transition to the Russian ruble. While the news hasn’t been officially confirmed by the Kremlin, it’s significant that the report surfaced through RIA and not Ukrainian or opposition sources, suggesting such referendums or even simple declared annexations in captured regions could be imminent.
Image source: The Guardian
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has in his latest statements invoked Crimea – which came under Russian control due to a Kremlin-backed ‘popular referendum’ in 2014 – as a model for what could happen regarding Kherson’s political future. He stressed it would be “up to local residents” and that the process would be “absolutely clear and legitimate”.
Additionally, according to The Moscow Times, “Occupied Kherson, as well as the Pryazovske region on the Sea of Azov, reportedly began trading with Crimea shortly after Russian forces installed pro-Moscow administrations in the area.”
And Reuters writes of more signs of annexation of the city coming soon as follows: “TASS cited the Russian-controlled administration as saying that pension bodies and a banking system would be created from scratch for the region, and that branches of a Russian bank could be open there before the end of May,” according to its report.
However, some correspondents are saying there won’t be a referendum, or possibly just the appearance of one as a pretext…
Kirill Stremousov, a Russian-aligned figure in Kherson, says a referendum is not needed to make Kherson a people’s republic
Kherson is going the route of direct annexation, which procedurally differs from what Russia has broached for Luhansk or Donetsk
— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) May 11, 2022
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s defense ministry is vowing that the local population will “resist” such annexation attempts, despite eastern and southern areas of the country having large pockets of pro-Russian and Russian-speaking citizens.
Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine Hanna Malya in fresh statements said this week that the fierceness of local Ukrainian resistance has prevented this scenario from taking effect thus far.
“Russians failed to capture the territories instantly as it was in 2014. They do not have such support from the local population. On the contrary, our citizens strongly resist, not only the citizens but also the state of Ukraine,” she described.
Southern Axis Update:
By all indications, #Russian forces will announce the creation of a #Kherson People’s Republic or possibly directly forcibly annex Kherson Oblast in the coming weeks and possibly as soon as May 9.https://t.co/Ya6pu4yieD pic.twitter.com/HLEocJaHaL
— ISW (@TheStudyofWar) May 8, 2022
“But you have to understand that we cannot discuss in public the ways in which the state may act in the temporarily occupied territories. But the fact that the so-called referendums have not yet taken place and cannot take place shows that Ukraine is doing its job effectively,” Malyar emphasized.
“Crimea has 125% voter turnout and thus was also illegitimate.”
Some of the precincts that voted for Brandon in 2020 had a 125% turnout and he’s president now. Maybe Moscow could use drop boxes for voting.
Too much work and unnecessary in Crimea. They just brought large trucks and walked out the ballots to the boxes shamelessly.
LOL! Another brainwashed zombie yahoo believing the separatists and Kremlin propaganda. You’re an Ignoramus.
There’s more Nazi (separatist and Russian insurgent) mercenary thugs wearing NAZI tattoos out of Donbas working for Putin, then the handful of scattered Nazi hooligans roaming in Ukraine that Putin claims are a threat to Russia! And, no... there are no organized NAZI’s in AZOV, only attitudes and personal symbolism that encourages their unyielding duty to defend Ukraine people, country, and fight to their own deaths if necessary doing so.
Putin and his Russian military thugs use NAZI’s. Many have been captured by Ukraine army and exposed to have numerous NAZI tattoos and organization identities. They work for Putin/Russian military as agitators and killers. The Russian NAZI’s are part of the separatists who joined by invitation from Putin, to help disrupt and kill Ukraine(Donbass) civilians and soldiers in 2014-15. The only NAZI’s who kill civilians are the seasoned butchers who work for Putin.
Of course Putin makes himself out to be the Dunbas Savior!... with his PR-stunt; his ‘Special Operation’ that answers the cries from his dear comrades who are anguishing in the Donbas praying for the Kremlin to liberate them from an invented boogeyman Ukraine Nazi oppression that bullies Russian-speaking separatists! Absolutely hilarious! Why didn’t Putin just give these whining separatist bozo’s a free pass to citizenship into Russia instead of invading Ukraine?
Because it’s not about Nazi’s or liberation... it’s about stealing Ukraine territory, Putin’s genocide against Ukraine people, annexing Ukraine territory to the Russian Federation and his plan to subjugate Ukraine peoples under ‘Soviet’ style KGB rule.
Russia is run by KGB Putin and his corrupt cadre of Soviet thugs who extort billions from Russian business and it’s people to enrich themselves. Ukraine corruption is pale in comparison to Russian/Kremlin corruption.
I doubt you would sacrifice a fingernail to fight for your family or country, but you are easily judgemental towards a fighting battalion that has lost many members defending Mariupol and continue to deny Putin the port-city. You know nothing of AZOV, but only through heresy, through lies, propaganda and rumor.
AZOV battalion continues to this day with swollen faces, crippled bodies, missing limbs and painful injuries... fighting for weeks defending Mariupol from their defensive position in/beneath the Azovstal Steel Plant. But you only know how to disparage and deride them, conjured from your total ignorance, disinformation and misguided mob mentality you blindly follow.
Ukraine AZOV are an elite battalion of military under oath and command of Ukraine Defense department and a division of Ukraine National Guard. They are specialized and trained in covert infiltration, tactical disruption, and special reconnaissance/security/defensive operations. They are considered the best of the best of Ukraine military and have high honor and allegiance to the protection of Ukraine and its civilians. The training to be AZOV Battalion is grueling and intensive. Only a few make it through the course that includes intellectual, physical and psychological endurance.
Bravo AZOV and heavy praise for their tenacity, will and devotion to their oaths, their honor and duty in defense of Ukraine and its people.
Your cartoon is BS. Try doing some critical research and dig up facts, not fiction.
??Really? So the Ukraine was not betting against Trump?
you’re so full of it.......
All that from a little pr#ck that doesnt know the difference between a Slavic Fin and a Scandinavian Fin.
Like Eben Junction VS Trenary.
People like you and I know just about how Putin thinks. Unlike these queers.
Maybe there is a pretty wide language, cultural, religious and/or ethnic, and therefore political, divide in these places that are supposedly absolutely against the Russian invasion?
Do your research outside of shitty Russkie blogs. The guy who promoted the Steele report was a Russkie with ties to the FSB, and the companies involved with Hunter Biden had Russkies at the helm who have since fled Ukraine.
Neither Zelenskyy nor any elements of his government had any involvement whatsoever with the Russian hoax.
Your talking point is hopelessly out of date. We have already seen supposedly "Russian" cities violently rejecting the Russian regime.
8 years of Russian murder and lies had a unifying effect on Ukraine. Whoda thunk it?
And Ukraine still hasn’t brought out its fresh reserves for its counter offensive yet.
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Mostly because the UA has no arms or kit to give them. Best the UA can do is Maxim machine guns from WWI, Soviet era DP-27 machine guns, Enfield rifles, and Soviet WWII helmets. Ammo is very low, fuel is scarce and many bridges are destroyed, along with many locomotives - rail is the quickest and most efficient way to move across Ukraine.
That’s why all reputable international pollsters support the legitimacy of the Crimean vote.
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As do all FSB trolls on FR ...
Some of the precincts that voted for Brandon in 2020 had a 125% turnout and he’s president now. Maybe Moscow could use drop boxes for voting.
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Where do you imagine Brandon’s 2000 mules got the idea?
How much do you get paid per post?
This is literally the situation in Russia per a large number of reports from the field from Russkies themselves. They are being sent in with WW2 guns and helmets from 1941.
Ukraine has received 200 tanks from Poland alone just recently, plus other shipments from Estonia, Czechoslovakia, etc., along with large supplies of brand new western weapons, including one shipment of 40,000 155mm artillery shells, which is now expanding to more than 100,000 shells. Not to mention large numbers of new Javelins and other aarms. They've also captured hundreds of Russian armor, which has been repaired and recirculated for Ukrainian use.
It is suspected the new US Howitzers are responsible for the sudden defeat of Russia's front in Kharkiv. They are currently fleeing across the border.
The common consensus that I have seen is that Ukraine is currently preparing its reserves with these new western weapons and will in preparation for a large offensive. The counter offensives going on in Kharkiv and other regions are being done by the initiative of local commanders and is just the beginning of trouble for the Orcs and Goblins of Mordor.
100,000 shells is a drop in the bucket too few too late. This is an artillery war like WWI right now. The maneuver stage like WWII is on hold.
Further it is becoming more and more difficult to move heavy weapons and ammo across 700-900 miles to the front. Only rail can do that quickly and efficiently.
The orcs have destroyed a large number of Ukraine locomotives which cannot be replaced (the only factory is in orc Land). They have blown many electrical power substations that the Locomotives depend on. Many bridges are damaged and destroyed, without which it is near impossible to get from Lviv to the front in any sort of good order.
Fuel is in short supply because the Ukraine Economic Minister may be an orc sympathizer, having set the wholesale price of fuel below what wholesalers have to pay. So there is virtually no fuel being imported.
US howitzers played no role in the Kharkiv front to cause the front line orc troops to withdraw. Those troops were moved to the only active section and the orc prime objective at Izyum. Replacement troops were forced conscripted Ukrainians and volunteers. They are 3rd rate troops good only to expose UA positions and die. These are the orc troops that have old equipment and are slowly retreating under cover of constant shelling. Orcs fire 100 rounds, UA fires 3 back.
M-777s are just barely competition for orc artillery in range and out ranged by the latest orc arty pieces. Especially since only the troops that fire the tubes have been trained up - all the other components will take months, if not years to be trained. Modern weapons being supplied are few an far between.
Will they make any actual difference, given the limited quantities and difficulties of moving fuel and ammo to the front? Jury is out.
Tank killers are not manpads, but artillery. Does not matter how many tanks the UA captures, if there is no fuel to run them.
Most do not realize the scale of this war and how fragile Ukraine actually is. UA needs at least 2000 arty tubes and millions of shells to match orc artillery. Not to mention a way to get all of that to the front.
Just because Congress spends huge amounts of money on this war does not mean the goods actually get there, example: Switchblade 600s - there are only 10 in existence and they are made by hand. Not going to be in Ukraine any time soon.
We will have to disagree, as even such characters as Igor Girkin/Strelkov, the former Defense Minister of the Donbass, sees only horror for Russia’s forces on the horizon. Ukraine has already achieved a major victory in Kharkiv Oblast over the past 100 hours.
There are already videos coming out of Howitzers on the front line as well blowing up Russkie targets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVw3AyMTtQU&t=205s
Yes that's the UA 81st just west of Izyum. Well they may be right, but the Orcs have 16 uncommitted mechanized brigades on the Orc side of the Border, plus all the troops from Kiev-East and West they are trying to reconstitute are just on the other side of the border from Kharkiv.
The regular troops that were pounding the daylights out of the UA units at Kharkiv are now at the Izum bridgehead. If you want to imagine that trouncing 3rd rate conscripts on the Kharkiv salient is a major victory, fine.
Don't believe propaganda from either side, just look at the forces as they are and what they are doing where. The truth of the war will reveal itself.
90 howitzers are not going to tun the tide against <3000 orc tubes - many of which are superior to the M-777. These are just the realities. The 100,000 rounds the US is supplying are short a zero and the numbers of guns short another zero.
Videos are just an indication, not proof of anything one way or another. Those clowns are really struggling to use that tube. And one round in >4 minutes is not even close to its capability. Those shells looked like the standard M107 shell, nothing fancy.
They should be firing 8 rounds during that video and, if they really were good, 28 rounds. Also we don't know what happened after: did orc counter-battery fire take it out? What is NOT shown?
Just because you see a unit loading and firing a round which hits something is not anything to write home about - there are at least 3 other separate teams needed to make the tube do what it was designed to do. How well trained are they? If its like that fire team, not very well.
Orc Msta & the 2S35 Koalitsija-SV 152 mm self-propelled howitzers both out-range and fire faster than an M777. They come standard with every Orc mechanized battalion, usually 6 units and maybe 9, plus the Orlon-10 spotter drone company.
Did you know because of the poor command (like the Orcs) that some UA troops are literally handed advanced weapons and told to figure it out?
Would any of you “non-trolls” point to any reputable poll proving otherwise? Just why the Crimeans may want to be in Ukraine?
From what timeframe, troll? Russkies have stuffed the place full with up to 1 million new Russkie orcs and goblins from the mainland since 2014, and then have gone on a full on commie spending spree to prop the place up (but still can't get emergency services to work). Of course home grown Orcs and Goblins, being congenital slaves after being born and raised under communism, will poll well. Obviously if they wanted to join back during the referendum, they would have then actually voted to do it instead of Russkie troops stuffing the ballots and grabbing people from the streets in the middle of the day to torture them.
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