Russia claims the entire territory of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson

The Russian delegation, in talks with the United States in Saudi Arabia, is seeking to achieve the transfer of all four Ukrainian regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson - under its control, The Moscow Times reports.

Although the Russian army does not fully control any of these regions, the Kremlin hopes to acquire them in accordance with the Russian constitution, that is, as annexed territories, with their administrative borders. According to sources, Putin cannot afford to lose these territories politically, so Russia intends to consolidate its ownership of them by any means. "The Russian constitution does not provide for a mechanism for the secession of regions. We need the entire Zaporizhia and Kherson regions," the source said.

According to another Russian official, the Kremlin hopes that Washington will pressure Kiev to withdraw Ukrainian troops from the territories occupied by Russia.

As an alternative, Russia could try to capture other regions of Ukraine, such as Dnepropetrovsk or Sumy, and then offer to exchange them for Kherson and Zaporizhia.

As of February, the Russian army controls 98.6 percent of Luhansk Oblast, 62.6 percent of Donetsk, 71.9 percent of Zaporizhia, and 69.3 percent of Kherson.

Israeli military expert David Sharpe says that Russia will not be able to quickly take these regions by military means. “For the Russians, even capturing a couple of villages is a big achievement. To cross the Dnieper and capture Kherson, or even enter the city of Zaporizhia, which is located on both banks, you would need a special event. This is a very difficult task,” he says. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”