Annexation

Russian leader's rambling speech focuses on western sins and leaves key Ukraine questions unanswered.

Again, those in Moscow are no better informed than the rest of us. But annexation involves more than pieces of paper, and while in 2014 Russia had just carried out a swift and stealthy military operation to seize Crimea, this time things are far less clear-cut. Today, he offered an angrier but less coherent denunciation of the west, more angry taxi driver than head of state. Instead, Putin railed at the west for a litany of sins, ranging from destabilising Russia in the 17th century to allowing gender reassignment surgery. The improvements in quality of life that the first years of Putinism brought are drying up amid sanctions and international isolation. This time, the domestic and international situations are far less favourable for Putin.

The US is imposing what it describes as "swift and severe costs" on Russia, including sanctions on a figure the Biden administration says is key to Russia's ...

In addition, Blinken announced the State Department is imposing visa restrictions “on 910 individuals, including members of the Russian Federation military, Belarusian military officials, and Russia’s proxies for violating Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence.” US officials view the central bank’s efforts as primarily providing surface-based cover for an economy that is in the midst of major atrophy across multiple critical sectors. US officials grudgingly acknowledge that Nabiullina has done an effective job managing Russia through this initial phase of the sanctions, just as she did in 2014 after Putin’s Crimea annexation triggered a much less severe round of sanctions from the West. US officials and their allies have closely monitored real-time Russian efforts to circumvent sanctions already in place to curtail access to critical components for the defense industry, and many of the new targets come from that effort. “The United States condemns Russia’s fraudulent attempt today to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory. The response marks an escalation and expansion of the most sweeping sanctions regime ever to target a major economy, one that has been steadily ramped up throughout the more than seven months since Russia’s invasion.

The move has been condemned by Ukraine and Western countries and represents major escalation in seven-month war.

“And how does Russia respond?” Therefore, we are ready for a dialogue with Russia, but with another president of Russia,” Zelenskyy said. “We will rally the international community to both denounce these moves and to hold Russia accountable. In his speech, Putin said Russia would defend its new territory with all the means at its disposal. “Clearly, with this Russian president, it is impossible. Western governments and Kyiv have dismissed the hastily organised votes as breaching international law, and charge they were coercive and wholly unrepresentative.

Russia imports 67% of its services from sanctioning countries. Building on previous action, the UK will prevent Russian access to: IT consultancy services ...

This will prevent those Russian actions from taking legal effect in the UK and potentially providing economic benefit to the Russian state. It also prevents funds or economic resources being provided to or for the benefit of the designated person The export of almost 700 goods from the UK to Russia are also being banned. The UK is also working with international partners to cut off Russia from our engineering services and architectural services. We will never recognise the results of these sham referendums or any annexation of Ukrainian territory. In her role, Nabiullina has been instrumental in steering the Russian economy through the Russian regime’s illegal war against Ukraine and extending the ruble into the Ukrainian territories that are temporarily controlled by Russia.

How will Russia annex four occupied regions it does not fully control, while in the middle of a war?

Ukraine's leader has dismissed the nuclear threat as a "constant narrative of Russian officials and propagandists". Before the February invasion, Russia recognised the entirety of the two eastern regions as independent "people's republics" and now Moscow will define them as Russian territory. Nobody really knows what is now in the Russian leader's mindset, but his anti-Western rhetoric has reached a new level. He knows, however, that he will have to persuade every member state to agree, and Turkey for one is unlikely to. However, he said Russia would treat all of the Donetsk region as part of Russia. But he can also threaten the West if it continues to arm Ukraine with missiles used against what he has labelled Russian territory.

Joe Biden accuses Moscow of 'trampling on the United Nations Charter' as US targets hundreds in new sanctions package.

[Vladimir Putin announced](/news/2022/9/30/putin-announces-russian-annexation-of-four-ukrainian-regions) that Russia would absorb the partially occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia. “We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine’s application for accelerated accession to NATO,” he said in a Telegram post. But Biden has repeatedly warned Putin that the US will defend NATO countries if they are attacked by Russia – a pledge he reiterated on Friday. So, Mr Putin, don’t misunderstand what I’m saying, every inch,” Biden said. Biden said he is looking forward to signing the measure into law. Biden said Washington will rally the international community to denounce Russia’s annexation and hold Moscow accountable.

The new sanctions have been imposed on hundreds of Russian government officials and their family members.

[mysterious leaks](https://www.axios.com/2022/09/27/nord-stream-gas-pipeline-leak-sabotage) in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines detected earlier this week the result of deliberate sabotage and warned that such attacks would be met with a collective response from the organization. [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." Why it matters: The expected annexation will dramatically raise the stakes in the occupied regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as Putin could attempt to portray any attack in the areas as an attack on Russia itself. [Russia to annex four occupied regions of Ukraine on Friday](/2022/09/29/putin-russia-annex-donetsk-luhansk-zaporizhzhia-kherson) - "We will continue the United States' powerful, coordinated efforts to hold Russia to account, cut Russia’s military off from global commerce and severely limit its ability to sustain its aggression and project power," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. [laying claim to four regions](https://www.axios.com/2022/09/30/putin-claims-annexation-four-ukrainian-oblasts) in Ukraine, which Russia only partly controls.

Russia declared the annexations after holding what it called referendums in occupied Ukrainian areas. The West and Kyiv said the votes were coercive and ...

Two bodies lay in a white mini-van in front of another car. Plastic sheets were draped over the bodies of a woman and young man in a green car. “There is a psychological aspect to this,” he said. Several dozen Ukrainians interviewed by Reuters in the last week said that only people they described as “Russian collaborators” had voted, with most people boycotting them. The impact had sprayed shrapnel across cars packed with belongings. Therefore, we are ready for a dialog with Russia, but with another president of Russia,” Zelenskyy said. Moscow blamed the Ukrainians. “They have made a choice to be with their people, their motherland, to live with its fate, and to triumph with it. The ceremony culminated in the 69-year-old leader chanting “Russia! “Clearly, with this Russian president it is impossible. Retired U.S. U.S.

The US issued new sanctioned after Putin signed treaties absorbing occupied regions of Ukraine, in defiance of international law.

[Where All The Strongest Hurricanes Have Hit the U.S. [Wants to Paint the World Out of a Corner](https://time.com/6217676/oliver-jeffers-meanwhile-back-on-earth/?utm_source=roundup&utm_campaign=20220928) “The Treasury Department and U.S. in the Past 50 Years](https://time.com/6218275/strongest-hurricanes-us-map/?utm_source=roundup&utm_campaign=20220928) [2022 Time100 NEXT:](https://time.com/collection/time100-next-2022/?utm_source=roundup&utm_campaign=20220928)TIME’s List Of Emerging Leaders Who Are Shaping the Future The U.S. The Treasury Department named hundreds of members of Russia’s legislature, leaders of the country’s financial and military infrastructure and suppliers for sanctions designations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday presided over a ceremony at the Kremlin to annex four Ukrainian regions partly occupied by his forces.

This is contrary to the very nature of man, truth, freedom and justice." "Do we really want, here, in our country, in Russia, instead of 'mum' and 'dad', to have 'parent No. ... We have a different future, our own future." "The dictatorship of the Western elites is directed against all societies, including the peoples of the Western countries themselves. For the sake of land and resources they hunted people like animals. "The West ... But we will not discuss the choice of the people in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. "I want the Kyiv authorities and their real masters in the West to hear me, so that they remember this. It is clear to everyone who benefits from this." This tore apart and dismembered our nation, becoming a national catastrophe ... "We are ready for this ... People living in Luhansk and Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are becoming our citizens.

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to annex Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine says a missile strike on a convoy killed at least 23 ...

[Russia-Ukraine war](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/ukraine-russia/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_15). [Putin declared a military mobilization](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/21/putin-speech-annexation-ukraine-russia/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_3) on Sept. Follow our [live updates here](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/30/russia-ukraine-war-putin-annexation-live-updates/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_2). 21 to call up as many as [300,000 reservists](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/21/russia-partial-mobilization-putin-war-ukraine/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2&itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_4) in a dramatic bid to reverse setbacks in his war on Ukraine. [Subscribe to our channel](https://t.me/washingtonpost?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_16) for updates and exclusive video. [annex four occupied regions of Ukraine](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/29/kremlin-says-putin-will-sign-treaties-annex-ukrainian-territory/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2&itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_1), following staged referendums that were widely denounced as illegal. [suspected Russian missiles struck](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/30/zaporizhzhia-convoy-rocket-russia-ukraine/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5) a civilian convoy killed at least 25 people early Friday, Ukrainian officials said. [support the Ukrainian people](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/27/how-to-help-ukraine/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_13) as well as [what people around the world have been donating](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/03/donate-ukraine-money-crypto/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_14). [here’s some of their most powerful work](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/03/scenes-ruin-resilience-100-days-war-ukraine/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_12). The announcement led to [an exodus](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/27/russia-mobilization-satellite-images-traffic-border-georgia/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_5) of [more than 180,000 people](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/28/russia-turkey-partial-mobilization-ukraine/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_6), mostly [men who were subject to service](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/28/russia-turkey-partial-mobilization-ukraine/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_7), and [renewed protests and other acts of defiance against the war.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/22/mobilization-putin-anger-russia-war/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_8) In a grand ceremony in the Kremlin on Friday, he said in a speech that Russia would formally incorporated Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — and that people living there would “be our citizens forever.” [raised tensions](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/29/nord-stream-gas-leak-methane-russia/?itid=lk_inline_manual_4) in northern Europe.

In an angry, conspiratorial address Friday, amid grand fanfare, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered the Kremlin's justification for Russia's annexation ...

21 to call up as many as [300,000 reservists](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/21/russia-partial-mobilization-putin-war-ukraine/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2&itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_4) in a dramatic bid to reverse setbacks in his war on Ukraine. [Russia-Ukraine war](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/ukraine-russia/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_15). [Putin declared a military mobilization](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/21/putin-speech-annexation-ukraine-russia/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_3) on Sept. Follow our [live updates here](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/30/russia-ukraine-war-putin-annexation-live-updates/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_2). [annex four occupied regions of Ukraine](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/29/kremlin-says-putin-will-sign-treaties-annex-ukrainian-territory/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2&itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_1), following staged referendums that were widely denounced as illegal. “Sanctions are not enough for the Anglo-Saxons; they have switched to sabotage. Do we want them to be taught that instead of men and women, there are supposedly some other genders and to be offered sex-change surgeries? By the way, that created a precedent,” Putin said. We forced the Europeans to trade for mutual benefit,” he said. They destroyed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Speaking at the opening of the U.N. “I want the Kyiv authorities and their real masters in the West to hear me, so that they remember this.

Below is a round-up of international reaction to Putin's move. INTERACTIVE Which Ukrainian regions is Russia annexing-. Ukraine. Ukraine said its troops would ...

The United States will always honour Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders,” President Joe Biden said, adding that his country would “rally the international community to both denounce these moves and to hold Russia accountable”. “Putin has mobilised hundreds of thousands of more troops, engaged in irresponsible nuclear sabre rattling and now illegally annexed more Ukrainian territory. “The illegal annexation proclaimed by Putin won’t change anything. By attempting to annex Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, Putin tries to grab territories he doesn’t even physically control on the ground. The council said Russia had “engineered” the outcome of the vote held in the occupied provinces and had used its doctored results “as a pretext for this further violation of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity”. “We firmly reject and unequivocally condemn the illegal annexation by Russia of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions,” the members of the European Council said in a statement.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin proclaimed Russian rule over four regions that make up 15% of Ukraine's territory – the biggest annexation in Europe ...

Linda Thomas-Greenfield introduced the resolution that called on member states not to recognize any altered status of Ukraine and obliged Russia to withdraw its troops. Kyiv and Western leaders denounced the referendums as a sham. In a surprise acknowledgement, Russian President Vladimir Putin this month said China’s leader Xi Jinping had concerns about Ukraine. “Not a single country voted with Russia. The move has been firmly rejected by Western countries and even many of Russia’s close allies. Ambassador to the U.N.

Russia on Friday vetoed a Security Council resolution which described its attempts to unlawfully annex four regions of Ukraine earlier in the day with a ...

They Nord Steam 1 and 2 pipelines have been at the centre of the European energy supply crisis stemming from Russia’s February invasion, and neither are in operation pumping gas to European nations at this time. “The residents of these regions do not want to return to Ukraine. “The Charter is clear”, said the UN chief. Any use of the veto by any of the Council's five permanent members triggers a meeting. He said there had been “overwhelming” support from residents in the four regions that Russia now claims. Four members abstained, Brazil, China, Gabon and India.

Resolution called for condemnation of 'illegal' referendums in Ukraine and for states to not recognise border changes.

“Over seven months into the Ukraine crisis, the crisis and its spillover effects have had a wide range of negative impacts. [@AJEnglish]after Russia's veto in the UN Security Council of a draft resolution condemning annexation votes held in parts of occupied Ukraine. Following the Security Council vote, and the abstentions, some will be asking whether it’s possible to reach the high water mark again,” he said. China is deeply concerned about this prospect,” the ambassador said in a statement. [@UKUN_NewYork]'s [@BWoodward_UN]told [@baysontheroad]the issue will go to the General Assembly next week. “Not a single country voted with Russia.