Russia will likely see failure to seize Donetsk Oblast as setback for its objectives in Ukraine, says UK intel

The New Voice of Ukraine
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The Kremlin will consider the inability of the military to occupy the Donetsk region as a failure to achieve its maximalist goals in Ukraine
The Kremlin will consider the inability of the military to occupy the Donetsk region as a failure to achieve its maximalist goals in Ukraine

According to the ministry’s assessment, on Aug. 11, 2022, Russian media reported that Denis Pushilin, head of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”) – a sham statelet set up by Moscow in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast in 2014 – had said that the date of a referendum on the “DPR” joining Russia will be announced after the “DPR’s complete liberation.”

Previously, in June 2022, investigative journalists published evidence of the existence of a “DPR” planning strategy for running such a referendum and for ensuring that at least 70% of votes were in favor of joining Russia.

Read also: Russia sees revolt among its proxy forces in Donbas

“It is likely that Russia is in the advanced planning stages of holding a referendum, though it is unclear if the final decision to go ahead with a vote has yet been taken,” the ministry said.

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