Pro-Putin officials stationed in occupied Ukraine are to be targeted in a crackdown on puppet civilian administrations, British defense chiefs said on Wednesday. They pointed out that a mayor in a Russian-appointed administration was killed in a car bomb. But Vladimir Putin’s regime is seeking to gain more political control over the occupied territories of Ukraine, including by twinning cities with Russian ones. Moves have also been launched to make it easier for Ukrainians to become Russian citizens. / AP
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In its latest intelligence briefing, the Ministry of Defense in London said: “Anti-Russian sentiment in occupied Ukraine is leading to the targeting of Russian and pro-Russian officials. “The Russian-appointed administration in Velykyy Burluk has acknowledged that one of its mayors was killed on July 11, 2022 by a car bomb.” The briefing added: “The targeting of officials is likely to escalate, exacerbating the already significant challenges facing the Russian occupiers and potentially increasing pressure on already reduced military and security formations.” Smoke billows near residential buildings after a rocket attack as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, in a location referred to as Bakhmut, Ukraine within the Donetsk region / via REUTERS However, he also stressed: “Russia continues to seek to undermine the legitimacy of the Ukrainian state and to establish its own governance and administrative control over the occupied parts of Ukraine. “Recently this has included an initiative to twin Russian and Ukrainian cities and regions to develop post-conflict administrations and a decree that will make it easier for Ukrainians to acquire Russian citizenship.” As Russian bombardment continued in eastern Ukraine, UK defense chiefs predicted: “In the Donbass, Russian forces will likely focus on capturing several small towns over the next week, including Shiversk and Dolina on the approaches to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk . “The urban areas of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk likely remain the main targets for this phase of the operation.” A policeman helps an injured woman after a strike hit a residential area in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine / AP In the southern part of the country, Ukrainian forces launched counter-attacks to retake territory captured by Russian troops. The West is waging an information war against the Kremlin, and the State Department highlights Russian losses far more than Ukrainian losses. But the propaganda coming out of the Kremlin is often far more questionable, including claims that civilian buildings are not being targeted, given that thousands if not tens of thousands of civilians have been killed since Putin launched his invasion on February 24.
