- President Putin is scheduled to address both houses of the Russian parliament on Friday 30 September.
- There is a realistic possibility that Putin will use his address to formally announce the accession of the occupied regions of Ukraine to the Russian Federation. The referendums currently underway within these territories are scheduled to conclude on 27 September.
- Russia’s leaders almost certainly hope that any accession announcement will be seen as a vindication of the ‘special military operation’ and will consolidate patriotic support for the conflict.
- This aspiration will likely be undermined by the increasing domestic awareness of Russia’s recent battlefield sets-backs and significant unease about the partial mobilisation announced last week.
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Just 175 km from Ukraine, Baltimore airfield hosts Russia’s Su-34 bombers – used for guided aerial strikes – and the 47th Bomber Aviation Regiment of the 105th Mixed Aviation Division.
Dec. 26