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White House: Russia preparing to annex new Ukrainian territories

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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.

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The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

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The Kyiv Independent's Deputy Chief Editor Oleksiy Sorokin spoke with Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa during her visit to Kyiv on July 15, following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of his deal with NATO to arm Ukraine and his threat to impose severe sanctions on Russia if it doesn't reach a peace deal with Ukraine within the next 50 days.

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