The Russian capital braced for festivities, with traffic restricted on Friday, including a concert in the shadow of the Kremlin walls. Russian President Vladimir Putin will formalize on Friday, September 30, 2022 in Moscow the annexation by Russia of four Ukrainian regions, widely denounced by kyiv and its Western allies, but which he has threatened to defend even with nuclear weapons.
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In decrees published Thursday, September 29, vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the Ukrainian regions of Zaporijjia and Kherson, a preliminary step to their annexation. On Red Square, we can already see huge signs on which is written: “Donestk, Lugansk, Zaporizhia, Kherson – Russia. Together forever“. And that is exactly the goal of the Kremlin: to make things final and irreversible.
And for that, the whole propaganda machine of power was quickly set in motion: as of Thursday evening, the Russian television channels displayed the countdown of the time remaining before the ceremony in the Kremlin scheduled for noon in Moscow (1 p.m. in France ). Surrounded by parliamentarians from both chambers, pro-Russian leaders from the occupied Ukrainian regions, Vladimir Putin must pronounce “a voluminous speech“, according to his spokesperson Dmitri Peskov. Then, place for the public celebration: a huge stage was set up, leaning against the Basil-the-Blessed cathedral, a stone’s throw from the Kremlin.
The supporters of the regime will be there, but to swell the ranks, the power has rounded up as usual in the administrations or public companies, even those which were not used to doing so. Daria, a young Muscovite who received an unexpected invitation email. “This is the first time that we have been invited to go to this kind of event. The only thing they usually do is when there is an election, they write to us ‘Go vote’. There, I was surprised to receive such an email. I doubt that would entice many people to go there. And I won’t go because I don’t want to participate in such events.“If Daria won’t go, it’s because she has a choice: other companies are more coercive. Some universities have even promised extra points to students who take part in the meeting, on condition that they send a selfiefrom Red Square.
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Russia had already recognized at the end of February the independence of the two other regions which it is preparing to annex, those of Donetsk and Luhansk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his part called an emergency meeting of his Security Council for Friday. Far from laying down its arms, kyiv is instead demanding more from its Western allies to continue its counter-offensive against Moscow.