UKRAINE
Situation report day 216
September 27, 2022 - Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to announce the accession of occupied regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation during his address to parliament on Sep 30, the British Ministry of Defence has said.
Russia’s “referendums” in Ukraine, which could lead to Moscow annexing 15% of the country’s territory, are due to be completed on Sep 27. Voting in the eastern provinces of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhya has been dismissed as a sham by western nations, which have pledged not to recognise the results.
None of the provinces are fully under Moscow’s control and fighting has been under way along the entire front line, with Ukrainian forces reporting more advances since they routed Russian troops in a fifth province, Kharkiv, earlier this month.