Comment KYIV, Ukraine — The way to stop Russia from annexing any more Ukrainian territory, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday, is for Western countries to announce they will ban all Russian citizens in response. In a wide-ranging interview with the Washington Post, Zelensky said “the most important sanctions are to close the borders — because the Russians are taking away someone else’s land.” He said Russians should “live in their own world until they change their philosophy.” Russian leaders said they could hold annexation votes in the occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine – the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions – on September 11, alongside regional elections already scheduled to take place. Russian officials say those votes will legitimize Russia’s claim to those territories, but critics say the votes would be a farce manipulated by Russia. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and senior White House officials have warned that any attempt to grab land through “sham” referendums would impose “additional costs on Russia”. It is not clear what those consequences will be. As before Russia’s February 24 invasion, Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials are pressing their Western partners to announce sanctions as a deterrent. Zelensky told The Post on Monday that the sanctions already imposed on Russia for its unprovoked war in Ukraine are “weak” compared to closing the borders to Russian citizens for a year and a full embargo on the Russian energy market. Russian airlines have been banned from flying over most of Europe and North America, making it more difficult for Russians to travel abroad. But there is no blanket ban as Zelensky suggests. Russian citizens are still free to apply for a visa to visit the United States, for example. Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin told reporters on Monday that she believes the issuance of tourist visas to Russians should be limited and called for an EU-wide ban. Some critics argued that banning all Russians would have an unfair impact on those who have fled their country because they disagree with President Vladimir Putin’s government and his decision to attack Ukraine. Zelensky said such distinctions do not matter: “What kind of Russian … makes them go to Russia.” “They’ll understand then,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘This [war] it has nothing to do with us. The entire population can’t be held responsible, can it?’ It can. The population chose this government and they don’t fight it, they don’t disagree with it, they don’t shout at it.” “Don’t you want this isolation?” Zelensky added, speaking as if addressing the Russians directly. “You tell the whole world that they have to live by your own rules. Then go live there. This is the only way to influence Putin.” Zelensky spoke for an hour in his presidential office, where the corridors remain dark and lined with sandbags to protect against attack. Zelensky wore a black T-shirt with Ukraine’s trident symbol instead of his usual military-green fatigues. He leaned forward and animated as he answered questions, gesturing with his hands, tapping the white table to make his points. Latest updates from the Ukraine war Russia’s control of Zaporizhia also sparked controversy on Monday in the wake of alleged attacks targeting Europe’s largest nuclear power plant 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 called on Russian occupation forces and Ukrainian defenders to declare a demilitarized zone around the site and let international inspectors in. Russia said on Monday it would do so, but did not say whether it would take steps to facilitate such a visit. Both sides have traded blame for explosions near the Zaporizhia plant, which Russia seized in March. Ukraine has accused Russia of using the plant as a shield for artillery and of firing rockets into the area. Russia has accused Ukraine of launching raids in the region. A challenge for Ukrainian officials pushing for strong 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 the subsequent annexation of Russia. But analysts say that once the Russians officially claim territory and declare it part of Russia, it will eliminate any possibility of Russian troops leaving without being forced to withdraw militarily. Ukrainian officials understand Russia’s thinking from experience. Russian forces invaded Crimea in 2014, held a referendum that was rejected internationally and have been in control of the peninsula ever since. Officials in Kyiv still complain that the Western response was not strong enough then. Annexation would also complicate matters for Western countries that supply Ukraine with weapons. Officials in Washington and European capitals have carefully tried to limit the weapons they provide for strikes against Russian forces inside Ukraine. But if Moscow saw the post-referendum strikes in Kherson and Zaporizhia as targeting Russian territory, it could risk drawing NATO countries into the conflict. Zelensky said annexing territory would preclude negotiations with Russia. Ukrainian officials are also concerned that Russia will move up the timetable for the referendum in response to Ukraine’s threat of a military counterattack in the region. Ukrainian forces are steadily gaining ground around the city of Kherson, the first major city to be captured by Russia and the only regional capital. Military advances are often one small village at a time. That progress was aided by Ukraine’s use of US-supplied M142 high-mobility artillery rocket systems, or HIMARS launchers, to destroy the Antonovsky Bridge, which is key to Russia’s efforts to resupply its troops. Russia appears to be shifting troops and equipment south in response, potentially setting up a military conflict over the key Black Sea port that analysts say could be key to the trajectory of the war. Zelensky said he wanted Russia to know that regaining control of the Kherson was just a first step: “Let them know that as soon as we have enough forces and means, we will seize all our lands.”
