Russia sets a date for a referendum on the annexation of Ukrainian lands, and the US State Department accuses Russia of deporting hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians

Russia's ruling party called on Tuesday for a referendum in the Ukrainian regions occupied by Russian forces to annex them to Russia, and this comes as violent confrontations continue between the two sides, and at a time when the US State Department accuses Russia of deporting hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, including children.

"Donetsk, Luhansk (which together make up the Donbass region in southeastern Ukraine) and many other Russian cities will be able to return to safety and the Russian world, which is currently divided by official borders, will restore its territorial integrity," said Andrei Torchak, Secretary of the General Council of the ruling United Russia party. " As he says.

Moscow had recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions before its war on Ukraine on February 24, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, which are occupied by the Russian army.

Turchak added, according to the Russian RIA Novosti news agency, that it is favorable to organize these referendums in Donbass and the so-called liberated regions of Ukraine on November 4, which coincides with the National Unity Day, which Russia celebrates.

He said that the "United Russia" party has been operating in these regions since the first days of the special military operation and is communicating with the people there.

In turn, TASS news agency quoted the pro-Russian authorities in Kherson that the region is preparing for the referendum on November 4, with an expected turnout of 80%, according to the agency.

In March 2014, Russia organized a referendum in Crimea, which led to its annexation to Russian territory.

On the other hand, the US State Department accused Russia that its forces continue to interrogate, arrest and deport hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, including children.

She said that Ukrainians deserve justice and that the United States will continue to stand "united" by Kyiv.

Field Developments

In the latest field developments of Russia's war on Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its forces had full control of the city of Kodima in Donetsk region, also referring to the downing of two Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft in Kherson and Sukhoi-25 in Mykolaiv.

Battles continued between the Russian and Ukrainian armies on various axes and fronts, and various types of land and air weapons were used, and confrontations intensified on the southern front, as the Ukrainian army continued its counterattacks in the Kherson region on the positions of the Russian forces on the front line.

On the Eastern Front, the Ukrainian General Staff said that its forces repelled Russian attacks in the Bakhmut region of Donetsk region, while the cities of Kramatorsk and Kharkiv were subjected to Russian bombardment.

CNN quoted US and Ukrainian officials as saying that Kyiv's endeavor to retake Kherson from Russian forces by the end of this year is an ambitious goal, but it is possible if Ukraine continues to make military progress.

The network added, according to US officials, that the Ukrainian forces are making gains in the south of the country and are seeking to regain control of Kherson by the end of this year.

It explained, quoting Ukrainian officials, that the goal is to regain control of all lands north or at least west of the Dnipro River, including Kherson, noting that Ukrainian forces escalated their attacks in the east of the country to prevent Russia from moving its forces to the south in an attempt to repel the Ukrainian counter-attack.

The Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Army, Valery Zaluzhny, also admitted on Wednesday for the first time that it carried out missile strikes against Russian bases in the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia, including a strike that caused destruction at the Saki military facility last month.

Zaluzhny threatened to continue this type of operation, stressing that "the task of the Ukrainian Armed Forces for 2023" is to continue to "turn the fight" to the Crimea, where Moscow has "large concentrations of forces" that it uses in its war on Ukraine.

Zaporozhye station

On the other hand, Moscow and Kiev are still accusing each other of bombing the Zaporozhye plant, threatening a nuclear catastrophe, and Ukraine has called on residents of the areas around Zaporozhye to leave their homes for their own safety.

"I appeal to the residents of the neighborhoods near the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant to evacuate! Find a way to reach the territory controlled by Ukraine,"

Prime Minister Irina Vershchuk, a remote, said on Telegram .

International attention continues to grow in the Russian-controlled Zaporozhye nuclear plant in Ukraine, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has said that bombing operations at and around the site must stop to avoid any new damage to the plant.

For its part, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that the renewed bombing had damaged a backup power line linking the Zaporozhye nuclear plant and a nearby power station.

In its report, the agency called for the agreement of all parties concerned to establish a nuclear safety and security protection zone.

As for Russian President Vladimir Putin, he expressed confidence in the agency's report, but said he declined to say that Ukraine had bombed the station, because of what he called US pressure on agency officials and inspectors, denying the presence of Russian military equipment at the station.

On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency, describing it as good.

Zelensky called for ending the presence of Russian troops at the Zaporozhye nuclear plant first before discussing the creation of a demilitarized zone.