"Occupied Territories": the Russian Federation encroached on two other regions of Ukraine on the eve of the election - expert

This opinion was expressed by the foreign policy programs, the coordinator of the international projects of the Razumkov Center, military expert Alexei Melnyk in an interview with the Observer. He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin was needed for the so -called presidential election on March 17 at least some legitimization of "his", the level of support of which has fallen significantly among the electorate. "This is an extremely important and urgent question.

Many things that will happen inside Russia and the Russian-Ukrainian line will also depend on how much Putin and his circle are convinced that they are guaranteed victory in elections. After all, for all conventions They still need legitimization of Russian sovereign democracy. When asked by a journalist, whether Russia has an opportunity for this, Melnyk replied that it was quite problematic.

"They have repeatedly announced the south of Ukraine and the Kharkiv region" Iskonno -Russian "and talked about the creation of the so -called buffer zone, simply did not attempt to formalize," the expert explains. He adds that it is possible to "join" Russia, as the Russians do, you can even Alaska. "To gather the State Duma and" annex. Russian laws, "Melnyk thinks. However, first of all, there are several pressing tasks for Putin.

"Trying to make, firstly, the Russian electorate went to the polls, that is, to provide turnout, and secondly, that ideally they vote for Putin and did not go out for any protests or otherwise demonstrated their disagreement," the coordinator emphasizes International projects. At the same time, Melnyk notes that Putin's elections are a powerful factor that will affect the situation at the front, the subsequent course of hostilities.

This is especially important for Putin, because there is a tendency to reduce interest in everything concerning its own, as well as leveling the propatriotic, pro -Kremlin sentiment. "One of these examples is the movement of women mobilized. It is not yet clear where it will go, but the very fact of its appearance and the fact that it has existed for several weeks - is also a rather alarming signal that will push Putin to demonstrate successes It is on the front line, "Melnyk states.

According to a military expert, the intentions to "return the occupied territories" are, just as the intentions to go further in the event of a victory - to Moldova, the Baltic countries. "Russia is constantly making some destabilization campaigns, and not only in the countries of the so -called post -Soviet space. Russia is constantly trying to create chaos and then manage it," - summarizes the coordinator of the Razumkov Center.