Partisans, internal divisions may prevent occupying Russian forces from holding staged referendums in Ukraine - ISW
The Russian authorities are unlikely to be able to hold "referendums" on September 11 due to "friction" in the occupation administrations and partisan attacks.
This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
As ISW points out, all evidence collected suggests that Russian authorities seek to create the appearance of local support and participation before holding "referendums" in order to present them as widely supported initiatives, but face persistent setbacks that delay annexation attempts.
Ukrainian partisans and internal divisions continue to pose a threat to Russian control over the occupied territories.
In addition, according to the institute, Russian troops continued to redeploy military equipment from Crimea to Russia, probably in response to ongoing Ukrainian strikes on Russian rear areas in Crimea.
Russian forces are also strengthening air defenses in Crimea to counter Ukrainian strikes, as current Russian air defenses are ineffective against Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Other key conclusions of the institute's analysts:
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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that elements of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZAEP) restored connection to Ukraine's power grid on August 26.
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Russian forces launched limited ground attacks northwest of Izyum, northeast and south of Bakhmut, and on the northwest outskirts of the city of Donetsk.
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Ukrainian forces continued to shell Russian land lines of communication and military infrastructure in the Kherson region, which provided operations on the west bank of the Dnieper.
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Recruitment for the so-called volunteer battalions, which continue to go to Ukraine, has been continued in the regions of the Russian Federation.
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