The independence referendum, which began on September 23, has not officially ended, but the results are already clear: turnout in Zaporizhzhia was 51, Luhanskye 76, Donetsk 77, and Kherson 49. This means that the four oblasts mentioned above can be incorporated into the Russian Federation in advance.
Some people will definitely say that Russia is in trouble this time: the Ukrainian side will definitely use this as an excuse to increase its counterattack, the United States and Western countries will also increase military assistance, the battlefield will be more brutal, and the fighting will last longer.
But we would like to say that the so-called consequences of all this are either unstoppable by Russia, or what Russia is wanting.
First, Ukrainian ** Zelensky personally admitted that the United States has already provided advanced air defense systems. This is what the United States ** Biden admitted to providing in August, and the Russian side is powerless to stop it.
Second, before and after the referendum, Russia and Ukraine have been fighting fiercely in the Redman area, and Ukraine's military operation against the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has never stopped, and it has even attacked civilian facilities in the Donbas region with artillery shells, which the Russian side cannot stop.
Thirdly, in response to the madness launched by the Ukrainian side, Russia** Putin has issued a partial mobilization order to conscript 300,000 reserve soldiers to the front line. This would go a long way in reversing the tension on the front line caused by the lack of troops.
Fourth, in order to meet Ukraine's counterattack, the Russian army focused on fighting foreign mercenaries. Significant gains were made in the outlying areas of Zaporozhye, Kherson and Mykolaiv, which inflicted heavy losses on mercenary groups from the United States, Poland, Norway and other countries. A large number of foreign-aided ammunition storage sites were destroyed.
In addition, due to the firm determination shown by the Russian side, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had to announce again that he would never provide Ukraine with tanks and other heavy equipment. This would certainly have a very good exemplary effect, and would stretch US and UK aid.
We all remember that one of the goals of Russia's special military operation was to make Donbass independent, and now there are two more "heads" in Khersu and Zaporozhye. Not only has the number increased, but also the strategic depth of the defense of the Crimean and Russian borders, and more importantly, the occupation of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant has ensured a stable supply of electricity to the relevant regions in winter.
As for how to prevent the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant from continuing to suffer military strikes from the Ukrainian side, that is after the referendum, and it is an excuse and reason for Russia to launch a greater counterattack in the future.
There is reason to believe that the 4 referendum regions will be better protected after joining Russia, and that Russian forces will establish greater strategic depth on their periphery, which means that Ukraine will lose more territory. And all this will see the results this winter.
The general principle of the Russian side is still to "promote talks by fighting", whether to talk or not to talk about you, and whether to fight or not to fight me. At the same time, we firmly believe that no matter how anxious and severe the situation on the battlefield is, the Russian side will never use tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Ukraine. Because this will not only undo all Russia's previous humanitarian efforts, but also increase the hatred between Ukrainians and ethnic Russians, contradicting Putin's previous statement that "Russia and Ukraine are both Slavic families".