After the pseudo-referendums on occupied Ukrainian territories, Russia may establish a new "Crimean Federal District" that will include the Crimean peninsula and Russian-controlled parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, Russian news outlet Vedomosti referring to unnamed sources reported on Sept. 27.
Dmitry Rogozin, former head of state space corporation Roscosmos, may head the new "district," Vedomosti wrote, citing an official in Russia's Federation Council and a source close to Moscow-installed proxies in Crimea.
On June 14, Rogozin called Ukraine "an existential threat" to the Russian people and said, "if we do not end (Ukrainians) – as unfortunately, our grandfathers did not end them – we will have to die, and our grandchildren will have to end them at an even greater cost."
On Sept. 23, Russia's proxies in the south and east parts of Ukraine declared the start of pseudo-referendums on joining Russia. They plan to announce the results on Sept. 27-28, according to Russian state-controlled media.