Annex

The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to formally annex four territories from Ukraine on Friday, following staged referendums that were ...

The process has drawn widespread international condemnation. George's Hall for a signing ceremony to incorporate the Ukrainian lands Friday 3 p.m. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin has summoned Russian lawmakers to the Kremlin's ornate St.

Vladimir Putin will annex four regions in south-eastern Ukraine — none of which Russia fully controls — on Friday, in a substantial escalation of the ...

A woman walks past a billboard depicting Russian passport, a day after voting in four Moscow-held regions of Ukraine on referendums to become part of Russia, in ...

Security Council, the United States is working with Albania on a draft resolution condemning the “sham referenda,” calling on states not to recognize any altered status of Ukraine and compelling Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine. "This will keep Russian products out of the European market and deprive Russia of an additional 7 billion euros in revenue," von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels. “I want to underscore that the so-called “referenda” in the occupied regions were conducted during active armed conflict, in areas under Russian occupation, and outside Ukraine’s legal and constitutional framework,” the U.N. chief had conveyed this message to the Russians when he spoke with their U.N. Guterres’ spokesman said the U.N. “They cannot be called a genuine expression of the popular will.”

In Moscow, authorities put up billboards and a giant video screen in Red Square. President Vladimir Putin will deliver a speech during the ceremony at the ...

[met with Hichilema at his home in Lusaka, the capital](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/28/world/africa/zambia-hakainde-hichilema.html?). [You can find all our puzzles here](https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords). [make landfall again as a hurricane today in South Carolina](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/29/us/ian-georgia-carolinas-virginia-forecast.html?smid=url-share). [straining emergency services](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/29/us/hurricane-ian-emergency-services-southwest-florida.html?smid=url-share) and complicating rescue efforts to reach residents who were stranded in record-high floodwaters. [“early reports of what may be substantial loss of life.”](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/09/29/us/hurricane-ian-florida/07032e90-984c-5c9b-a77b-fb49d36b0de7?smid=url-share) Biden declared the storm a major disaster, ordering federal aid to help with recovery. To overhaul the economy, Hichilema struck a deal with the International Monetary Fund that would include the reduction of fuel and agricultural subsidies. Before the election, Zambia defaulted on its debts, and inflation was skyrocketing. The government has been trying to close down Wittenoom for over a decade and is now close to reaching that goal. Context: Turnell is now among more than 15,000 political prisoners arrested since the coup, according to an international monitoring group. Turnell, 57, was arrested in Myanmar five days after the military seized power in a coup last year, setting off months of demonstrations and widespread killing. Russian officials have spoken of defending their claims to the annexed territory by any means, a hint at the potential use of nuclear weapons. President Vladimir Putin will deliver a speech during the ceremony at the Kremlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a signing ceremony Friday to formally annex four Moscow-occupied areas of Ukraine, the Kremlin said Thursday, ...

[here](https://www.axios.com/signup/codebook). Embassy in Moscow warned [in a security alert](https://ru.usembassy.gov/security-alert-for-u-s-citizens-in-russia/) Wednesday. urges citizens in Russia to leave "immediately" amid mobilization efforts](/2022/09/28/us-alert-citizen-russia-mobilization) embassy has warned citizens in Russia to leave the country since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, the alert warns that dual U.S.-Russian citizens may be subject to the new draft. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield [said](https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1w/k1wzmvn1ie) Tuesday. [state media reported](https://tass.ru/politika/15888139) Tuesday that large majorities in the areas either fully or partially controlled by Moscow voted in favor of joining Russia. - A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council tells Axios that it will coordinate closely with NATO allies and the private sector to strengthen their ability to fight Russian attacks. [not the first time](https://www.axios.com/2022/02/27/us-embassy-americans-russia) the U.S. What they're saying: "With a few exceptions, we have not seen the scaled, serious attacks we expected even before the war began," says John Hultquist, vice president of intelligence analysis at Mandiant. Why it matters: U.S. ["sham" referendums](https://www.axios.com/2022/07/19/putin-russia-annex-ukraine-kherson-donetsk-luhansk) in four occupied regions of Ukraine, U.S. [staged referendums](https://www.axios.com/2022/09/28/russia-ukraine-referendum-sham-results-putin-un) in the regions that were widely condemned by Western governments as a "sham."

The Ukrainian government and the West have denounced the move as illegal and rigged. Vladimir Putin sits at a desk. (Gavriil Grigorov ...

That partial mobilization is deeply unpopular in some areas, however, triggering protests, scattered violence, and Russians fleeing the country by the tens of thousands. “The better off and well educated are over-represented amongst those attempting to leave Russia,” the British said. The report said Ukrainian forces may soon encircle Lyman entirely, in what would be a major blow to Moscow’s war effort. “This is the opposite of free and fair elections,” Baerbock said. “And this is the opposite of peace. The Kremlin has been unmoved by the criticism.

The event echoes Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, which also followed a discredited referendum and was heralded by a Kremlin signing followed by a ...

And this is the opposite of peace, it is a dictated peace," she said. Some 2,400 protesters have been arrested in dozens of cities and there has been an exodus of Russian men streaming across the border. "This is the opposite of free and fair elections. And our reaction to recognition of the results by Russia will be very harsh." "The territorial integrity of Ukraine will be restored. That initial annexation has never been recognised by the vast majority of the international community, and nor will this.

Russia is expected to annex four occupied regions of Ukraine at a lavish Kremlin ceremony on Friday that follows a threat by President Vladimir Putin to use ...

was a tragedy, and he has recently suggested Moscow should again extend its influence over the former Soviet region. It comes after foreign leaders critical of Russia voiced their opposition to the plan, with U.S. The four territories — Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south and Donetsk and Lugansk in the east — create a crucial land corridor between Russia and the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the annexation plans as "a dangerous escalation" that "has no place in the modern world." Putin has blamed the war in Ukraine on the West and said simmering conflicts in the former Soviet Union were the result of its collapse. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the annexations would be formalized at the ceremony and Putin would deliver a "major" speech.

The head of Russia's lower chamber of parliament said on Friday that President Vladimir Putin had notified the house about plans to admit four regions of ...

Putin was due to preside over a signing ceremony with the Russian-installed heads of the four regions in the Kremlin later on Friday. State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, a key Putin ally, said on the Duma's official Telegram channel that Putin had informed the parliament of official requests by the regions. Sept 30 (Reuters) - The head of Russia's lower chamber of parliament said on Friday that President Vladimir Putin had notified the house about plans to admit four regions of Ukraine into Russia - a technical step towards Russia's annexation of the territories.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed to annex four occupied regions of Ukraine: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.

Antonio Guterres, director-general of the United Nations, called it a “dangerous escalation” and a violation of the U.N. A stage was set up in Moscow with giant video screens and billboards proclaiming the four areas part of Russia. ET), with the packed audience standing for a minute’s silence as Putin hailed the Russian “heroes” who have died in the war, which he calls a “special military operation.” President Joe Biden says he will never recognize the results, which he said Thursday were "a sham, an absolute sham." The annexation “can still be stopped,” Zelenskyy said. The annexation was also overshadowed by a The ascension ceremony started a little after 3 p.m. [Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/steady-increase-russian-troops-crimea-ukraine-border-says-pentagon-n1264546) in 2014. Russian-installed local officials were accompanied by armed personnel going door to door. [partially mobilized his military ](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russians-fearing-conscription-flood-border-georgia-mongolia-rcna49487)— prompting [domestic blowback and an exodus of Russians](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russian-recruits-ukraine-exodus-votes-annexation-putin-rcna49546) fleeing the draft — and [ramped up his nuclear threats](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-catastrophic-consequences-nuclear-weapons-ukraine-us-warns-rcna49365) against Ukraine and the West. [a series of punishing battlefield defeats](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-ukraine-russia-war-mobilization-troops-manpower-rcna48866) at the hands of a lightning counteroffensive by Kyiv. [deadly attack on a civilian convoy in the country's south](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russian-missile-strike-civilian-convoy-ukraine-zaporizhzhia-rcna50132).

President Vladimir Putin will begin annexing four Ukrainian regions to Russia on Friday, a move the United Nations warned would mark a "dangerous ...

Its fall could open the way for Ukrainian forces to launch attacks on swathes of territory that Russia now aims to annex. Army commander in Europe had discussed the war and that he had received assurances of further support from Washington. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia's votes were a sham and a "futile attempt to mask attempted land grab in Ukraine." Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan pressed Putin in a call to take steps to reduce tensions in Ukraine. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov added Putin would deliver a major speech. [use nuclear weapons](/world/europe/truth-or-bluff-why-putins-nuclear-warnings-have-west-worried-2022-09-28/) to defend Russian territory if necessary and on Thursday he said that the West stood ready to provoke "colour revolutions" and a "bloodbath" in any country, without naming a specific country. A political adviser to the Ukrainian president said on Thursday the ceremony "does not make legal sense" and would be a The head of the upper house of the Russian parliament has said the chamber could consider the incorporation of the four regions on Oct. Putin's annexation ceremony will be held in one of the Kremlin's grandest halls with the pro-Russian figures Moscow considers to be leaders of the four Ukrainian regions. He spoke late on Thursday, on the eve of a planned ceremony in the Kremlin and concert in Moscow's Red Square to mark the annexation, details of which sparked a fresh round of international condemnation. "Any decision to proceed with the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned," United Nations Secretary General LONDON, Sept 29 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin will begin annexing four Ukrainian regions to Russia on Friday, a move the United Nations warned would mark a "dangerous escalation" and jeopardise prospects for peace, while Kyiv warned it would elicit a harsh response.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaties Friday to annex occupied areas of Ukraine and said he would use “all available means” ...

In comments reported by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, he described the setback as “worrying news.” In that sense, the Kremlin cannot offer anything сomforting to the Russians.” The Kremlin-organized votes in Ukraine were an attempt by Putin to avoid more defeats on the battlefields that could threaten his 22-year rule. Ukraine also still has a large foothold in the neighboring Donetsk region. Its hold of the Luhansk region appears increasingly shaky, as Ukrainian forces make inroads there, with the pincer assault on Lyman. The southern Kherson region and part of neighboring Zaporizhzhia were captured by Russia soon after Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. The separatist Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine have been backed by Moscow since declaring independence in 2014, weeks after the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Russia on Friday also pounded Ukrainian cities with missiles, rockets and suicide drones, with one strike reported to have killed 25 people. Putin also railed at the West, cutting an angry figure as he accused the United States and its allies of seeking to destroy Russia. Russia!” with the audience. In a Kremlin ceremony at the ornate St. “We trust each other, we help each other, and we protect each other.

Putin has gone to war he will either win or lose. Once Russia illegally annexes four territories of Ukraine, there will no longer be possible for the Kremlin to ...

Furthermore, Russia has repeatedly waved the threat of using nuclear force to have the upper hand in its war in Ukraine. What adds to the Russian nuclear threats is what a Moldovan news outlet has reported, saying Russian troops in the Moldovan breakaway region of Transnistria began drills whose scenario involves tackling radioactive contamination. The suspected sabotage of Nord Stream and nuclear threats might––according to the Kremlin––scare off Ukraine and Western nations. Tens of thousands of Russians continue to try to flee the country, fearful of being caught up in the military mobilization. A turning point came last week when Putin announced a “partial” military mobilization of Russian reservists for his war with Ukraine and planned “sham” referenda to include four Ukrainian regions in Russia. This might mark a turning point in the war––following the invasion and Putin’s announced troop mobilization.

Lipavsky described the pro-Russia referendums as “theater play” and insisted the regions remain “Ukrainian territory.” Armed Russian troops at went door-to-door ...

In response, tens of thousands of Russian men have left the country. “The better off and well educated are over-represented amongst those attempting to leave Russia,” the British said. “This is the opposite of free and fair elections,” Baerbock said. Ukraine’s supporters in the West have described the stage-managed referendums on living under Russian rule as a bald-faced land grab based on lies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an emergency meeting of the National Security and Defense Council for Friday, apparently in response to the Russian move. Peskov said the pro-Moscow administrators of those regions would sign treaties to join Russia during the ceremony at the Kremlin’s St.

Vladimir Putin on Friday declared that four provinces of Ukraine will become Russian territory based on referendums that took place this week, a move that ...

“The vote will destroy whatever chances — slim at best to begin with — exist for a political settlement between Russia and Ukraine based on mutual compromises,” added Rajan Menon, director of grand strategy at Defense Priorities, which advocates for restraint in foreign policy. He largely used the rest of his speech to air conspiracies and accusations against the West, which he claimed is waging a “hybrid-war” against Russia. “The parallels are eerie and, after decades of over-using the Hitler analogies, we finally have a case where they are apt,” said Daniel Fried, a former ambassador to Poland who is now a researcher at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. “The international community must unequivocally denounce this illegal land grab, and reaffirm our commitment to helping Ukraine defend itself,” said Idaho Sen. “Because this is the will of millions of people.” The truth is Russia is losing in Ukraine and their incompetent Generals are sending thousands to their deaths to please President Putin’s imperialist fantasy.” “We will rally the international community to both denounce these moves and to hold Russia accountable,” Biden said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in addition to the “swift and severe costs” the U.S. “The choice of the people in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson, we will not discuss. Biden described Russia’s claims of annexation as “phony” and having “no legitimacy.” He also announced new sanctions that the U.S. Russia wields a veto in the U.N. “The United States condemns Russia’s fraudulent attempt today to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory,” Biden said in a statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaties to annex Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson region and Zaporizhzhia region.

All territories illegally occupied by Russian invaders are Ukrainian land and will always be part of this sovereign nation". European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the "illegal annexation ... Putin urged Ukraine to cease military action and return to the negotiating table. Russia!" They then all clasped hands and chanted "Russia! "People living in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson region and Zaporizhzhia region are becoming our compatriots forever."