(VOVWORLD) -The Kremlin said on Wednesday its special military operation in Ukraine will continue at least until all of the Donetsk region is liberated after local referendums.
 Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (Photo: TASS) |
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the operation’s next goal is to liberate the entire territory. He noted that the territory of Lugansk has already been completely liberated.
The US said Wednesday it will not recognize Russian-annexed areas in Ukraine, and called local referendums conducted by Russia “illegal and illegitimate”.
The US is working with allies on new sanctions to impose if Russia annexes new areas of Ukraine, and they will include penalties on individuals and entities inside and outside of Russia who support annexation, the White House said.
The US Embassy in Moscow on Wednesday requested US citizens to immediately leave Russia after President Vladimir Putin announced a new troop mobilization and hinted that using nuclear weapons is still a possibility.