“We have information that Russia is planning to force Ukraine’s democratically elected government to surrender, including dissolving all local municipal governments in Ukraine,” said Michael Carpenter, US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Addressing the OSCE, which is headquartered in Vienna, Carpenter said that he aims to create new administrative structures in the regions under Russia’s control.
Carpenter suggested that Russian officials and pro-Moscow rebels were drafting a new government and constitution; but did not provide evidence for his claims.
The US Ambassador to the OSCE noted that the plan envisages deprivation of leadership positions of the legitimate rulers of Ukraine and those who support the legitimate government of Ukraine.
‘Fake referendum plan from Russia’
Carpenter accused Russia of plotting to hold fake independence referendums in eastern and southern Ukraine to justify its territorial occupation.
It has been 9 weeks since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The capital, Kyiv, could not be captured in the attack, in which many cities of Ukraine were destroyed. Russia intensified its attacks to take the two separatist provinces in the east. The West sees Russia’s change of course as one of the important turning points of the war.
When Russian troops met resistance in northern Ukraine last month, they had turned their targets to the east of the country. Russia is strengthening its position in the east and still retains most of the territory it seized in the south of the country in March.
In the statement made by the OSCE representation of the USA, it was also noted that there could be a “wave of harassment” aimed at those who try to oppose or undermine these “fake”, “illegitimate” referendums; “The international community should make it clear that any referendum will never be recognized as legitimate,” it said.
‘OSCE provides intelligence to the west about the location of Russian troops’
Russia today accused the OSCE of providing information to Western and Ukrainian intelligence about the location of Russian and pro-Russian forces.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that the investigators from the separatist “Donetsk People’s Republic” supported by Russia will provide the relevant evidence.
The OSCE has been holding an observation mission in the eastern region, where pro-Russian separatists clashed with the Ukrainian army since 2014.
Russia’s claim that “Poland will control Ukraine’s territory”
On the other hand, the Head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Narishkin, claimed that the US and Poland, which are NATO allies, are trying to restore Polish dominance in western Ukraine.
“According to intelligence obtained by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Washington and Warsaw are working on plans to maintain tight military and political control over Poland’s historic assets in Ukraine,” the statement said.
In the past, Poland had administered certain Ukrainian territories for some periods, most recently during the interwar years. Western Ukraine, including the city of Lviv, had joined the Soviet Union at the end of the Second World War.
The SVR claims that Washington and Warsaw are discussing a plan for Polish “peacekeepers” not under NATO command to enter areas of Ukraine where the chance of confrontation with Russian forces is low.
The SVR, which took over the powers of the KGB, the foreign intelligence agency of the Soviet Union period, with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, did not provide any evidence for this claim. The allegations were not confirmed by independent sources.
No statement has been received from Poland yet.
Poland is one of the most important supporters of Ukraine in the occupation of Russia. Warsaw has taken in 3 million Ukrainian refugees since the start of the war and has shipped large quantities of weapons across the border.
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, also claimed two days ago that Ukraine would be divided into many states as a result of the US’s attempt to use Kiev against Russia.
‘Russia intensified its attacks in the east’
The Ukrainian General Staff, on the other hand, stated that Russia has intensified its attacks as part of its plan to completely seize two regions in the east of the country, which has been partially controlled by the separatists since 2014.
Ukrainian authorities reported that explosions were heard in the city of Kherson in the south of the country at night. Kherson is the only regional capital that Russia has captured. Russian troops there dispersed the pro-Ukrainian crowd with tear gas and sound bombs yesterday. The Russian forces are holding the area surrounding the city with artillery fire and expanding their attack towards Mikolayiv and Kriviy Rih areas.
Russian state media reported that the pro-Moscow military-civilian commission in Kherson announced that the Russian ruble will be used in the region from 1 May.
Russia’s main offensive is continuing near the towns of Slobozhanske and Donets, on the strategic front highway connecting Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv, with the Russian-occupied Izyum, the statement said.
Kharkiv Regional Governor said that Russian forces intensified their attacks from Izyum, but Ukrainian troops protected the area.
‘Russia wants to capture the fighters in the steel mill’
Pavlo Kirilenko, the governor of the region where the port city of Mariupol in the southeast of the country, which has been under Russian siege since February 24, is located, reported that Russia does not allow the evacuation of Ukrainian fighters trapped in the country’s steel mill.
Donetsk Governor Kirilenko said that Russia has also hindered efforts to create humanitarian corridors in other parts of Donetsk.
Kirilenko said that Russia wanted to seize the opportunity to seize the fighters defending Mariupol, so they could not agree on the evacuation of the wounded.
Russia, on the other hand, blames Ukraine for the lack of progress on safe corridors.
Kirilenko stated that although humanitarian corridors could not be established, they estimate that only 370 thousand people out of the city’s 1 million 670 thousand population have remained in the city since the Russian occupation.
More than 270 thousand people are thought to have left Donetsk by rail and 80,000 by road.
“Ukraine did not use British weapons on targets inside Russia”
On the other hand, Western countries’ arms shipments to Ukraine have also increased in recent days. Meeting at an airbase in Germany this week, more than 40 countries have pledged to send heavy weapons to Ukraine.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said it would be legitimate for Ukraine to target Russia’s logistics resources in self-defense, but said they were unlikely to use British weapons to do so.
Moscow this week accused London of inciting Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia and said there would be an immediate “proportionate response” if the situation continued.
Wallace said that under international law Ukraine has the right to self-defense.
Speaking to the BBC television today, Wallace stated that the Russian army cannot continue the occupation for long without fuel, food and ammunition, and noted that part of Ukraine’s self-defense efforts consists of targeting the Russian army’s supply chain.
Wallace noted that Britain did not send weapons to Ukraine that could be used for long-range attacks.
Saying that it is unclear whether Ukraine has carried out the attacks in Russia in recent weeks, Wallace pointed out that Kiev does not have the British weapons to do this.
Adviser to the President of Ukraine, Mihalyo Podolyak, said in a statement today that the whole world recognizes that they have the right to defend themselves by attacking Russian military bases and warehouses.
Podolyak said on Twitter: “Russia has attacked our country and is killing civilians. Ukraine will defend itself in every way, including attacks on the warehouses and bases of murderers. The world recognizes this right.”