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Kremlin's planned annexation referendums postponed

joluoto

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Change of plans Kremlin-orchestrated ‘referendums’ on Donbas ‘republics’ joining Russia postponed until May


Kremlin's plan to arrange "referendums" in the Donbas to join Russia are postponed.... I wonder why. It seems many in the Kremlin don't want to officially annex parts of Ukraine, but Putin is pushing for it. Also political officers back? What is this? Commissars? Didn't they alreadly learn in WW2 that having Commissars was a bad idea, Stalin himself abandoned it. Though this seem to be more of an pseudo civilian administrator post meant to administer conquered regions than actually have power over the military.
 
One of the referendums Russia was planning was for the newly (completely) occupied city of Kherson.

Occupied Ukrainian city fears sham Russian referendum plans

Russia would have to fake the vote to get their desired result. Kherson is not Crimea nor the Donbas, it has about 50/50 Russian and Ukrainian speakers, but over 70% of the population identifies themselves as Ukrainian.
 
The international non-annexation legal norm has failed in 12 of 17 cases since WWII. The Russians want to be sure as possible that any referendum which they hold on the subject goes their way p, in order to further weaken the non-annexation "norm".

All this business about an international non-annexation norm really existing is effectively hogwash since the "norm" is not actually the statistical norm and because the "norm" is so often used and abused by so many countries as a political football to serve their own interests.

The weakness of the non-annexation norm is evident in the inconsistency with which the most powerful states treat violations: they justify their own, endorse or ignore those by their allies, and denounce those by their rivals. The United States claimed the Artemis Accords are consistent with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, endorsed Morocco’s annexation of Western Sahara, ignored Israel’s annexation of parts of the West Bank, denounced Russian annexation of Crimea, and reacted to the Chinese annexation of the South China Sea with ‘freedom of navigation’ exercises in which U.S. Navy vessels sail through the disputed waters with the support of some though not all of its allies. Russia defiantly annexed Crimea, criticized Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank, criticized the Artemis Accords, and maintains neutrality on Chinese annexation of the South China Sea. The PRC insists that its annexation of the South China Sea is the assertion of control over its historic waters, withheld criticism of the Russian annexation of Crimea, strongly criticized Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank, and criticized the Artemis Accords.

From:


We must do better disciplining allies, neutrals, rivals and foes if this "norm" is ever to become normal. Right now it is just words on paper which have been largely ignored in about 2/3s of annexations since WWII.

Cheers and be well.
Evilroddy.
 
Moscow isn't even bothering with a phony Crimea-like referendum in Kherson.

They named a former KGB officer as Mayor and that is that.

 

Change of plans Kremlin-orchestrated ‘referendums’ on Donbas ‘republics’ joining Russia postponed until May


Kremlin's plan to arrange "referendums" in the Donbas to join Russia are postponed.... I wonder why. It seems many in the Kremlin don't want to officially annex parts of Ukraine, but Putin is pushing for it. Also political officers back? What is this? Commissars? Didn't they alreadly learn in WW2 that having Commissars was a bad idea, Stalin himself abandoned it. Though this seem to be more of an pseudo civilian administrator post meant to administer conquered regions than actually have power over the military.
Why bother? No one in the international community (except maybe China and Belarus) will recognize Donbas as part of Russia.
 
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