Russia plans to keep checkpoints with temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine for security reasons - ISW

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports.

According to the report, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that after allegedly visiting the temporarily occupied Luhansk and Kherson regions, he passed through the Gukovo checkpoint, which is located on the border of Rostov and Luhansk regions. According to him, the poor road conditions at this checkpoint caused a civilian backup and forced trucks delivering perishable goods to wait for hours before passing through, causing shipment delays and price increases in occupied territories. The Russian president also added that some trucks are forced to bypass the checkpoint.

Despite this and the complaints of millbloggers that Russian checkpoints significantly slow down the supply of Russian ammunition to the front line in Donetsk region, Russia intends to keep the checkpoints between its territory and the occupied territories of Ukraine. Thus, Putin called on Russian special services and law enforcement agencies to increase the number of  inspection complexes and employees at checkpoints. He also ordered to improve the roads around the checkpoints and create a route from Rostov-on-Don to the Luhansk region.

The ISW writes that "the Kremlin’s failure to implement meaningful integration policies and secure occupied Ukraine is likely undermining Russia’s ability to provision forces on the front line." Although Putin is trying to fix delays in ammunition supplies and speed up inspections at checkpoints, he is not thinking about removing these obstacles.

Russia previously intensified security measures and inspections around the Kerch Strait Bridge, the Kremlin likely continues to use these checkpoints for similar security reasons. The Kremlin may also use these checkpoints to prevent the mass movement of men from occupied Ukraine escaping forced mobilization.

"The existence of these checkpoints further highlights that Russian officials do not view the residents of occupied Ukraine as Russian nationals and are governing as the occupying power they are, despite ongoing claims the illegally annexed territories are part of Russia," the report says.

• On April 18, the Kremlin announced Putin's visit to the occupied Kherson and Luhansk regions. The Presidential Office responded.

• BBC reporters found out that Putin did not visit military positions in Kherson and Luhansk, but a recreation camp deep in the rear near Henichesk.

• On April 20, NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said that it was not Russian President Vladimir Putin who visited the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson and Luhansk, but one of his doubles.