Russia plans to snag parts of eastern Ukraine, just as it annexed Crimea in 2014, said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby at a White House briefing yesterday.
According to Kirby, intelligence sources report that Putin intends to turn territories in eastern Ukraine into Russian land, and that this is annexation of the Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Putin will repeat the method he used in the Crimea: Russian government officials and collaborators in the annexation areas are organizing referendums that result in support for Russia. Referendums will be held as early as September, Kirby says, close to the regional elections in Russia.
Already today, branches of Russian banks are opening in the eastern regions, forcing residents to apply for Russian citizenship and obtain Russian passports.
Kirby also said that the US administration is about to announce this week a new military aid package to Ukraine, which will include mobile artillery, rockets and rocket launchers.