Putin Claims Four Ukrainian Regions As Russian In Illegal Annexation

There was an update on Sep 30, 2022,4am.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Friday to annex four occupied Ukrainian provinces, despite widespread international condemnation of the move, which followed referendums in those territories that have been dismissed by observers as a sham.

The annexation was called the will of millions of voters by Putin at the event.

The residents of the annexed provinces will become Russian citizens forever, according to the Russian president.

The status of the annexed provinces is not up for debate despite Putin's offer of a ceasefire.

The rest of Putin's speech was devoted to his anti-Western rant.

Most of Kherson and Luhansk are occupied by Moscow's forces. Several key cities in the region are in the hands of the Ukrainians. Russian forces are said to be close to falling back into the hands of the Ukrainians. The loss of the railway junction would be a huge blow to Russia.

What To Watch For

Russia now has the ability to claim the four provinces as its own, which will allow it to escalate the conflict in the event of another successful Ukrainian counteroffensive. The fall of the Kharkiv province to the Ukrainians was Russia's most embarrassing battlefield defeat since the beginning of its invasion in February. The Kremlin hopes to prevent more counter-offensives by treating any attack on the annexed regions as an aggression against Russia. Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons to defend its territory, according to Putin.

Any decision to annex the regions of Ukranian would be condemned and have no legal value. It isn't a part of the modern world. It can't be accepted. The Secretary-General spoke on Thursday.

Key Background

The referendum in the occupied Ukrainian territories was mostly seen as a sham. People were coerced to vote for the annexation under threat of losing their jobs or being arrested, according to various reports. Russia claimed that 99% of the votes were in favor of joining the country. After weeks of humiliation on the battlefield and growing opposition to Putin's military draft, the Kremlin will be hopeful of gaining some public support with the annexation declaration. Over the last week, tens of thousands of Russians have left the country to avoid being drafted into the war. There has been a huge influx of people crossing the land border between Russia and its neighbors.

The Kremlin says that Russia will annex the Ukrainian territories on Friday.

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