JUST IN: Kremlin-backed separatist authorities in eastern Ukraine say they will stage votes later this week on formally joining Russia, moves that could represent a dramatic escalation in the wake of Kyiv's successful counteroffensive.
meanwhile urged defense industry chiefs to boost military production and Russia's parliament approved a bill to toughen punishments for a host of crimes, including desertion, if they are committed during periods of mobilization or martial law.the Kremlin could be preparing to dramatically intensify its approach
Separatist officials in the eastern areas of Luhansk and Donetsk, as well as the southern Kherson region and partially occupied Zaporizhzhia, announced they would hold the votes over four days starting Friday, Russia’s state news agency TassIt wasn't clear if the proposed annexation would cover the entire territory of the provinces or only the areas currently occupied by Russian forces.
“This is the reaction to the fact that they cannot hold territory with the current conventional forces that they have, so they have to create this additional safeguard by annexing this territory formally,” said Orysia Lutsevych, a research fellow at the London think tank Chatham House.