According to British intelligence, on September 30, the Kremlin may announce the joining of the occupied regions of Ukraine, where pseudo-referendums were held, to the Russian Federation.
"On Friday, September 30, President Putin is scheduled to address both chambers of the Russian Parliament. There is a real possibility that Putin will use his address to officially announce the joining of the occupied regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation," the message reads.
Russian authorities hope that the announcement of the annexation of the territory will be perceived as a justification for a "special military operation" and consolidate patriotic support for the war. However, intelligence believes that mobilization and failures at the front undermined support for the conflict.
- On September 23, the Russian occupiers started so-called "referendums" in the captured parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. They will last until September 27.
- A number of countries have declared that they do not recognize the results of these pseudo-referendums, Russia has promised sanctions.