The head of the Kremlin issues a decree declaring Russian ownership of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant
Analysts assumed that, once the incorporation into Russia of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, President Vladimir Putin would continue his escalation of war, sending another message to the Nation and an “ultimatum” to the Ukrainian troops. to withdraw from their positions in those four territories, as they are now considered part of Russia by Moscow.
It was also expected that, once the deadline for such an ultimatum expired, the current “special military operation” launched against Ukraine on February 24 would change its status, either to become a “defensive” offensive against an invading Army or an “anti-terrorist operation”, according to the model used in the two wars in Chechnya and requested in September by the leaders of the annexed areas.
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov denied on Wednesday that such plans exist. “The information in this regard is not true,” he assured in his usual appearance before the journalists accredited before the Russian Presidency. He specified that the head of state “has the prerogative to modify the format of the operation in Ukraine, but he has not made such a decision.”
What Peskov did promise is that the Ukrainian Army will be expelled from the reconquered areas in Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Lugansk. These provinces, he added, “will be Russian forever (…) they will be recovered and we will continue to consult the population on whether they want to belong to Russia.” Putin promulgated today the four new constitutional regulations that modify the text of the Russian Magna Carta in its article 65 of Section 3 (Federal Structure) adding the names of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhie (Zaporiyia) and thus culminating the process of annexation.
Serious casualties at the front
Despite the setbacks that the Russian troops are suffering in Ukraine, with serious casualties and even having to withdraw, Putin affirmed during the awarding of prizes to teachers that in those areas still in the hands of the Ukrainian forces “the situation will stabilize and we will be able to calm to undertake its development. He maintained that, despite the high number of civilians killed in the neighboring country and displaced by the war, “we have great respect for the Ukrainian people, their culture, language and literature.”
The head of the Kremlin also issued an order declaring Russia’s property of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. “The Government must ensure that the facilities of the nuclear power plant are accepted as federal property,” is indicated in the presidential decree just on the eve of the arrival in Moscow of the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi . The Ukrainian atomic plant has been occupied by Russian forces since early March. Its director, Igor Murashov, was arrested on Friday, then released and finally dismissed with the aim of placing a Moscow-trusted specialist in his position.
Another decision adopted this Wednesday by Putin has been the promotion of the controversial president of Chechnya, Ramzán Kadírov, to the rank of colonel general, the third highest position in the military ranks of the Russian Armed Forces. It has been Putin’s gift, since Kadirov, a fierce critic of the country’s current military leadership for his fiasco in Ukraine and a supporter of the use of nuclear weapons, turned 46 today.
This appointment comes amid rumors about possible dismissals among the generals, and even the dismissal of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, a position to which the Chechen leader aspires, who today boasted on his Telegram channel of having the confidence of the top Russian leader. He was named a major general in 2009, at the age of 33. In 2020 he joined the National Guard, held the rank of major general, and, a month after the start of the war in Ukraine, became a lieutenant general.
The rank of colonel general is the third highest command rank in the Russian military hierarchy, after general of the army and marshal. International organizations and the Russian opposition accuse Kadirov of committing atrocities in his republic and even of being behind numerous assassinations, including that of Boris Nemtsov. The Chechen leader has sent his units to fight in Ukraine and assures that three of his minor children will also go to the front.
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