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The Russian Federation will quickly annex the Kherson region now that voting on the referendum to join Russia – dismissed as bogus by the West – is wrapping up, the head of the military-civilian administration of the region said Tuesday.
Voting began last week and ends Tuesday in the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Russia is expected to claim victory in all four.
“The faster the institution of power begins to work, the easier it will be for people to live,” said Vladimir Saldo, who leads the Kherson ruling body. “There will be a transition period, of course, until we teach our officials … the laws of the Russian Federation.
“There will be this period, but I expect that it will not last long,” he said.
Saldo said region residents who are receiving Russian passports will not be subject to conscription for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s controversial “partial” military mobilization. The Kremlin plan to call up 300,000 additional soldiers has fueled angry protests in Russia and prompted long lines at the Russian-Georgia border as people try to flee.
Other developments:
►More than 60 police officers raided a luxury yacht in northern Germany linked to Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin. Prosecutors said they are investigating alleged breaches of sanctions and money-laundering rules.
►The discovery of unusual leaks on two natural gas pipelines running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany has led some European leaders and experts to point to possible sabotage during an energy standoff with Russia provoked by the war in Ukraine.
►A mission of French specialists has arrived in Ukraine to help document Russian war crimes near Izium.
Nearly 100,000 Russians escape to Kazakhstan
Nearly 100,000 Russians have fled to neighboring Kazakhstan since President Vladimir Putin announced a mobilization of 300,000 civilians last week, as men of fighting age try to avoid being sent to the war in Ukraine.
Kazakhstan Interior Minister Marat Akhmetzhanov said the approximately 98,000 Russians who have arrived escaping the draft in the last week will not be sent back home unless they’re on a list of fugitives wanted for criminal charges.
“We must take care of them and ensure their safety,” Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said of the Russian arrivals. “It is a political and a humanitarian issue.”
Kazakhstan, which has a large northern border abutting Russia, and fellow former Soviet republic Georgia seem to be the two most popular destinations for those crossing by car, bicycle or on foot away from Russia. Planes tickets abroad sold out quickly despite steep prices.
Some European countries have closed their doors to Russians seeking asylum to escape conscription, while others have expressed a willingness to take them in.
Russian Orthodox leader: Death in war ‘washes away all sins’
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, told his followers that dying while carrying out military duty “washes away all sins.” Kirill preached support for mobilization in Russia, saying this will help to “reconcile” Ukraine and Russia. Kirill is a Putin supporter who has stood behind the war.
In May, Pope Francis urged Kirill not to justify the invasion. “The patriarch cannot transform himself into Putin’s altar boy,” Francis said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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