Wojciech Skurkiewicz made the statement in a media interview on Monday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Asked about Western response to the annexation plebiscites, Poland’s deputy defence minister told public broadcaster Polish Radio: “No democratic state will recognise the actions being undertaken by the Russian Federation, by Putin, in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions or in the Kherson oblast. Democratic states definitely won’t agree to this and won’t allow this.”
Skurkiewicz warned that “Putin will press ahead, he will claim that the actions being undertaken by Ukraine, to defend its territory, are directed at Russia’s territorial integrity.”
“Such a situation will lead to further military operations,” the deputy defence minister stated. “Sadly this war will go on for further, long months.”
The Kremlin leader last Wednesday mobilised 300,000 reservists to assist in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and threatened to use nuclear weapons to defend his country.
Rigged ‘referenda’
The so-called ‘referenda’ on becoming part of Russia are being staged from September 23-27 in the Russian-controlled territory of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
The combined area is roughly the size of Portugal, telegraph.co.uk reported.
According to Luhansk's regional governor Serhii Haidai, Russian-backed officials have carried ballot boxes from door to door, accompanied by security officials.
Residents' names are being noted if they failed to vote correctly or refused to vote, the Ukrainian official said on Monday.
"A woman walks down the street with what looks like a karaoke microphone telling everyone to take part in the referendum," Haidai said. "Representatives of the occupation forces are going from apartment to apartment with ballot boxes. This is a secret ballot, right?"
Russia's lawmakers could move to formalise the annexations within days, news outlets reported.
By annexing the four areas, Putin could frame attacks to reclaim them as an attack on Russia itself, and even use that to justify a nuclear response, according to the Reuters news agency.
US warns of ‘catastrophic consequences for Russia’ if Putin uses nuclear weapons
Meanwhile, the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that “there will be catastrophic consequences for Russia” if Putin uses nuclear weapons, and that “the United States will respond decisively,” as cited by washingtonpost.com.
Monday is day 215 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(pm)
Source: PAP, Reuters, telegraph.co.uk, washingtonpost.com