Comment on this story
comment
Kyiv, Ukraine — The way to stop Russia from annexing more areas of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, is for Western countries to announce they would ban all Russian citizens in response.
In a lengthy interview with the Washington Post, Zelenskyy said that “the main sanctions are to close the borders – because the Russians are taking someone else’s land.” He said Russians should “live in their own world until they change their philosophy”.
Russian leaders have signaled they could hold annexation votes in the occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine – in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions – alongside regional elections already scheduled for September 11. Russian officials say the votes legitimize Russia’s claim to those areas, but critics say the votes are a Russian-rigged farce.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and senior White House officials have warned that any attempted land grabs through “sham” referendums would entail “additional costs for Russia”.
It is unclear what the consequences would be. Much like before the February 24 Russian invasion, Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials are urging their Western partners to announce sanctions as a deterrent. Zelenskyy told the Post Monday that the sanctions already imposed on Russia for its unprovoked war in Ukraine are “weak” compared to a year-long closure of borders to Russian citizens and a complete embargo on Russian energy purchases.
Russian airlines have been banned from overflying most of Europe and North America, making it harder for Russians to travel abroad. But there is no blanket ban as suggested by Zelensky; For example, Russian citizens are still free to apply for a visa to visit the United States.
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told reporters on Monday that she believes tourist visas should be restricted to Russians and called for an EU-wide ban.
Some critics have argued that a ban on all Russians would unfairly affect those who left their country because they disagree with President Vladimir Putin’s government and his decision to attack Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said such distinctions didn’t matter: “What kind of Russians…makes them go to Russia.”
“Then they will understand,” he said. “They’re going to say, ‘That [war] has nothing to do with us. The whole population can’t be held responsible for that, can it?’ It can. The people elected this government and they don’t fight it, don’t argue with it, don’t yell at it.”
“Don’t you want this isolation?” Zelenskyy added, speaking as if addressing the Russians directly. “You’re telling the whole world to live by your rules. Then go and live there. This is the only way to influence Putin.”
Zelenskyi spoke for an hour in his presidential office, where corridors are kept dark and lined with sandbags to protect against attacks. Zelenskyy wore a black T-shirt with the Ukrainian trident symbol instead of his usual military green uniform. He leaned forward and answered questions vigorously, gesturing with his hands, and patted the white table to get his points across.
Latest updates from the Ukraine war
Russia’s control of Zaporizhia also sparked controversy on Monday after alleged strikes at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant took place over the weekend. These caused reported explosions near a spent fuel storage facility that was not designed to survive such attacks.
In response, world leaders and experts urged the occupying Russian forces and Ukrainian defenders to declare a military-free zone around the compound and to allow international inspectors inside. Russia announced on Monday that it would do so, but did not specify whether it would take the appropriate steps to facilitate such a visit.
Both sides have shared blame for explosions near the Zaporizhia plant, which Russia captured in March. Ukraine has accused Russia of using the facility as an artillery shield and firing missiles into the area. Russia has accused Ukraine of launching strikes nearby.
A challenge for Ukrainian officials, who are pushing for tough measures to prevent a referendum in Kherson, is to explain why it would mark a turning point in the war. The vast majority of the international community would not recognize such a vote or any subsequent annexation of Russia. But analysts say once the Russians officially claim the territory and declare it part of Russia, it would obliterate any possibility of Russian troops withdrawing without being militarily driven out.
Ukrainian officials understand Russia’s thinking from experience. Russian troops invaded Crimea in 2014, held an internationally dismissed vote, and have controlled the peninsula ever since. Officials in Kyiv still complain that the Western response was not strong enough at the time.
An annexation would also complicate matters for Western countries that have been supplying arms to Ukraine. Officials in Washington and European capitals have been careful to limit the weapons they provide for attacks on Russian forces in Ukraine. But if Moscow views post-referendum strikes in Kherson and Zaporizhia as an attack on Russian territory, it could risk drawing NATO countries into the conflict.
Zelenskyy said that the annexation of territory would preclude negotiations with Russia.
Ukrainian officials are also concerned that Russia will bring forward its referendum schedule as Ukraine threatens a military counter-offensive in the region. Ukrainian forces have steadily gained ground around the city of Kherson, the first major city captured by Russia and the region’s only capital.
Military advances are often one small village at a time. This advance was aided in part by the use of the US-supplied M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS launchers, to damage the Antonovsky Bridge, vital to Russia’s effort to resupply its troops.
Russia appears to be moving its troops and equipment south in response, potentially sparking a military conflict over the key Black Sea port that analysts say could hold the key to how the war unfolds. Zelenskyi said he wanted Russia to know that regaining control of Kherson is only a first step: “Let them know that as soon as we have enough forces and resources, we will deoccupy all our territories.”