Kremlin pretends that by annexing occupied territories of Ukraine it is giving them a choice

OLENA ROSHCHINA —  WEDNESDAY, 1 JUNE 2022, 14:39

While brutally seizing Ukrainian territory and intending to annex it, the Russian authorities claim that they will take into account the opinion of the local residents.

Source: Dmitriy Peskov, spokesman to the president of the Russian Federation, quoted by propagandists of RIA Novosti 

Peskov's quote: "We have repeatedly said that people should choose their own future, and it is the residents of the two states -" LPR" [self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic] and "DPR" [self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic] - and residents of the territories, I mean Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, who must decide about their future. And we have no doubt that they will make the best decision. "

Details: This is how Peskov commented on the possibility of occupied territories of Ukraine "joining Russia".

Earlier, Andrei Turchak, the secretary general of the Yedinaya Rossiya party [United Russia party], expressed confidence that Zaporizhzhia Oblast, as well as Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, "will become part of Russia."

Why this is important: Russia has annexed Crimea and controlled parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts since 2014. Neither Ukraine nor Western countries have recognized this annexation and occupation, despite the occupying power’s pretence of holding "referendums".

On 24 February, 2022, the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian army is using almost the entire range of its weapons to seize Ukrainian territories and is aiming to create at least a land route from its borders to Crimea and Transnistria.

[Ukrainian] intelligence believes that Kyiv and central Ukraine are also in the Kremlin’s sights, although in early April the Russian army withdrew their troops from northern Ukraine.

As of early June, the Russians control almost the entirety of Luhansk Oblast, part of Donetsk Oblast, part of the Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv oblasts, and most of Kherson Oblast. Fighting continues.

In the occupied territories, the Russians are abducting Ukrainian patriots, activists, members of the Anti-Terrorist Operation/Joint Forces Operation, and representatives of local authorities who have not agreed to "cooperate" and collaborate with them. They are also cutting off communications and imposing their propaganda on residents.

The invaders are interested in [securing] a water supply for occupied Crimea. They have stolen grain and have already made plans for the harvest in the newly occupied lands.