The February 24, 2022 Vladimir Putin addressed the Russian nation to announce the start of a “special operation” in Ukraine. This Tuesday several channels related to the Kremlin announced that the Russian president was going to send a message to his citizens for the first time since the war began seven months ago.
On this occasion, in order, predictably, to approve the holding of referendums of annexation to Russia in four territories occupied Ukrainians: Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson. Also to call for the general “mobilization” of the population that would allow him to send Russian citizens to the front.
And it was expected because, in the afternoon, the Duma (the lower house of the Russian Parliament) introduced the concepts of “mobilization” and “martial law” in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. In an express procedure, it also approved a bill that toughens punishments for a series of crimes such as desertiondamage to military property and insubordination if committed during military mobilization or combat situations.
[Los prorrusos de las zonas ocupadas de Ucrania convocan referendos de adhesión del 23 al 27]
Nevertheless, there was no speech. “It has been postponed to Wednesday,” announced the political scientist and former adviser to Putin Sergey Markov on his Telegram channel. “Go to sleep,” the editor-in-chief of RTMargarita Simonyan.
The speech was to coincide with the first day of the annual session of the UN Assembly, which will bring together the main heads of state and government (except Putin) in New York until Monday, September 26. A summit that international leaders have used to condemn Russia’s plans to carry out “urgent way” Referendums on the annexation of Ukrainian regions.
“A Parody”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is trying to mediate between Moscow and kyiv to end the war, asked Russia to return the invaded territories, including the Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed by the Kremlin in 2014. Statements made to the american chain PBS that show how Putin is increasingly isolated internationally, even from an ally such as his Turkish counterpart.
[El doble juego de Erdogan: se reúne con Putin en Irán tras contentar a la OTAN]
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, was one of the first to assure the UN leaders that the consultations “will neither be recognized by the community nor will they have any legal consequences.” They are, in his opinion, “a provocation“, “a show of cynicism” and a “parody“which have no legal implication.
The United States also criticized these plebiscites which, according to the White House National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivanare nothing more than an attempt by the Kremlin to “ensure the security of its territories” in a moment of weakness on the battlefield.
World leaders address the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City
And the truth is that the success of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kharkov region has caused Russia to lose, in record time, more than 8,000 kilometers occupied squares in the northeastern part of the country.
In addition, the Ukrainian troops have not stopped, but continue to advance in the east. After having crossed the Oskil River at the height of the city of Kupyansk at the weekend, the soldiers of kyiv are already at the gates of Donbas (formed by the Lugansk and Donetsk oblasts) already approximately 40 kilometers from the border with Russia.
[La bolsa de Moscú se hunde casi un 9% tras la convocatoria del referéndum de adhesión a Rusia del Donbás]
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, have also branded “unacceptable“the referendums”fictitious” of adhesion to Russia. Likewise, the European leader has defended that “Russia’s attempt to legitimize its brutal occupation of Ukrainian territories will never be recognized,” according to the agency Reuters.
Statements similar to those of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, who in a statement clarified that he considers “illegalqueries and that their results will be “null and void”.
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