Russia may want to establish a Korean-style separation in Ukraine, an official with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said on Sunday.
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“After failing to take Kyiv and overthrow the Ukrainian government (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is changing operational orientation”, focusing on “the south and east” of the country, estimated on Facebook Kyrylo Boudanov, boss military intelligence.
“There are reasons to believe that he could impose a dividing line between the occupied and unoccupied regions of our country, an attempt to create South and North Koreas in Ukraine,” he added.
These statements come as the Russian command surprised Friday by announcing “to concentrate the bulk of the efforts on the main objective: the liberation of Donbass”.
Until then, the Russian power showed its intention to “demilitarize and denazify Ukraine” as a whole, and not only in this mining basin where the two pro-Russian separatist “republics” are located.
The Ukrainian authorities have not reacted officially to what some have interpreted as a downward revision by Moscow of its ambitions, after the setbacks and the heavy losses suffered by the Russian army since the start of its invasion of Ukraine. February 24.
On Saturday, US President Joe Biden, visiting Poland, however said he was “not sure” that Russian intentions had changed.
For Mr. Boudanov, the Russians “are going to try to establish a sort of alternative state to the independent Ukrainian state. We see that they are trying to set up parallel local governments in the occupied areas and to force people to give up the Ukrainian currency”.
The only major city occupied by the Russian army is currently Kherson, on the Sea of Azov.
The Ukrainian currency, the hryvnia, still circulates there, a resident recently told AFP on condition of anonymity, but some officials have been warned that they could soon receive their salaries in rubles.
On the other hand, the separatist territory of Lugansk, whose independence Moscow has recognized, could soon hold a referendum to join Russia, its leader, Leonid Passechnik, said on Sunday.