A Russian-backed separatist leader said the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic would support a Russian-occupied district in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region after it reportedly “appealed” to secede from Ukraine and join the breakaway republic .
Separatist leader Denis Pushilin made his comments to Russian state media outlet Russia-24 on Tuesday, saying the separatist republic would not immediately accept the district to its “administrative border”, but would instead resolve that issue at a later date. .
Video published on Tuesday by a Russian journalist claimed that the Rozovsky district, which is just 48 kilometers northwest of Mariupol, voted Tuesday to secede from Ukraine to join the Russian-backed separatist region of Pushilin.
DailyExpertNews is not broadcasting the video because it could not verify its authenticity, that it was taken in the Rozovsky district, that the individuals were actually Ukrainian citizens, or that they were not pressured to vote for the measure.
Some context: This is the first time during the war that a Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine has reportedly attempted to secede from the country, and it could be the first attempt by Russians and Russian-backed separatists to annex additional Ukrainian territory. .
However, it is not the first time during the war that the political status of an area in Ukraine has changed significantly while it was under Russian occupation.
Shortly after Melitopol fell into Russian hands in early March, the city’s mayor was detained by gunmen and a new pro-Russian mayor was installed. The unelected mayor has since taken a number of pro-Russian measures, including mandating the broadcasting of Russian news channels.
City workers and Russian troops also carried out a propaganda stunt in which they took down the Ukrainian flag, signed it and claimed to send it to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
