Russia seems increasingly unwilling to relinquish the territory it has taken in the war with Ukraine.
Russia seems increasingly unwilling to relinquish the territory it has taken in the war with Ukraine. The rouble is now an official currency in the southern Kherson region, alongside the Ukrainian hryvnia. Residents there and in Russia-controlled parts of the Zaporizhzhia region are being offered expedited Russian passports. The Kremlin-installed administrations in both regions have talked about plans to become part of Russia. The Moscow-backed leaders of separatist areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, which is mostly Russian-speaking, have expressed similar intentions. Russian president Vladimir Putin recognised the separatists’ self-proclaimed republics as independent two days before launching the invasion in February, and fierce fighting has been under way in the east for weeks as Russia seeks to “liberate” all of the Donbas. The Kremlin has largely kept mum about its plans for the cities, towns and villages it has bombarded, encircled and finally captured. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said it will be up to the people living in seized areas to decide their status. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week that enemy forces now control almost 20% of the country’s territory. Before the war, Russia controlled 7%, including the Crimea Peninsula and parts of the Donbas. But in a video message marking the war’s first 100 days, Mr Zelensky made it clear Ukraine will not submit easily.
“We have defended Ukraine for 100 days already.
“Victory will be ours,” he said. US President Joe Biden, meanwhile, said he believes “there’s going to have to be a negotiated settlement” to end the war. Asked if Ukraine should give up territory in exchange for peace, the president said: “It’s their territory” and “I’m not going to tell them what they should and shouldn’t do.”
Initially, at least, annexing more land from Ukraine was not believed to be the main goal of the invasion.
