ISW: Putin’s annexation of occupied Ukrainian territory to broaden legal definition of 'Russian' territory
The Institute for the Study of War said in its latest assessment that the Kremlin will use the falsified results of sham referenda to illegally annex all occupied parts of Ukraine and is likely to announce unoccupied parts of Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as part of Russia. The experts believe that this domestically focused move is intended to improve Russian military recruiting by calling on the Russian people to “defend” newly claimed Russian territory. "Putin and his advisors have apparently realized that current Russian forces are insufficient to conquer Ukraine and that efforts to build large forces quickly through voluntary mobilization are culminating short of the Russian military’s force requirements," the ISW said in the update.
