Russian proxy officials in occupied areas of Ukraine appealed on Wednesday to President Vladimir V. Putin to join Russia, kicking off what is expected to be several days of pageantry and formalities intended to give Russia’s annexation plans a sheen of legitimacy.
The moves are meant to check boxes under Russian law and the Russian constitution in a process for claiming land in a neighboring country that most of the rest of the world sees as patently illegal.
Staged referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine were hastily set in motion last week after Russia suffered setbacks on the battlefield. After five days of stage-managed voting, in which many residents said they were coerced to cast a ballot by armed soldiers, the Russian proxy officials in occupied areas announced purported results that showed, as expected, overwhelming support for joining Russia. Read more
@nytimes