Russia is going to acquire huge sections of eastern Ukraine this month and recognise the southern city of Kherson as an independent country, a senior US official said.
The suspected efforts, according to Michael Carpenter, the US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, are "straight out of the Kremlin's playbook" and will not be recognised by the US or its partners and friends.
Michael claimed that the US and others had knowledge that Russia is arranging "fake referendums" in the so-called "people's republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk in order to annex the territories to Russia. He also said that there were indicators that Russia was planning to stage an independence referendum in Kherson.
"We believe the Kremlin may try to stage sham referenda to lend a veneer of democratic or electoral legitimacy, and this is directly out of the Kremlin's playbook," he said, adding that the ballots may occur as early as mid-May, according to the information.
"Sham referenda, falsified votes, and any attempts to acquire additional Ukrainian land will not be regarded genuine," he stated.
Although there have been public allegations that Russia is seeking to exert stronger control over regions it already controls and occupies in eastern and southern Ukraine, Michael did not provide any details about the evidence that led to the judgment.
He cited proof that local mayors and legislators had been abducted, that internet and cellphone service had been cut off, and that Russian school curricula would be implemented soon.
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