The Institute for the Study of War said Russian proxies' calls to immediately annex Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts "is panicking proxy forces and some Kremlin decision-makers." As Russia does not control the entirety of either oblast, annexing proxy territories would mean Ukrainian-controlled areas would be "by Kremlin definition partially ”occupied” by legitimate Ukrainian authorities and advancing Ukrainian forces," the ISW said. This would "place the Kremlin in the strange position of demanding that Ukrainian forces un-occupy “Russian” territory, and the humiliating position of being unable to enforce that demand," according to the ISW.
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