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John Kirby, chief U.S. National Security Council spokesperson, said on July 19 that Russia is “laying the groundwork” to annex Ukrainian territories it fully or partially controls, including Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts. Kirby said Russia has started to appoint illegitimate proxies and plans to hold “sham referenda,” transition the currency to the ruble, and force residents to apply for Russian citizenship. The Kremlin is “dusting off the playbook from 2014,” Kirby said, referring to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea.