- President Vladimir Putin formally declared four regions of occupied Ukraine are part of Russia
- In an angry speech in Moscow, Putin blamed the west and said the United States had created a “precedent” by using nuclear weapons at the end of World War Two
- He declared people living in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia would become Russian citizens forever, after making their choice in recent so-called “referendums”
- The move has been widely condemned by the international community, with many condemning the “sham” votes and stating they will never recognise the annexation- similar to that carried out by Russia in Crimea in 2014
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to oust the Russians from all of his country and asked Nato to speed up giving it membership of the defensive alliance
- After the annexation, the UK and the United States both announced new sanctions against Moscow
- A motion commending the annexation, proposed by the US at the United Nations Security Council, has been vetoed by Russia – a fellow permanent member of the international council
- Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military is reportedly making progress in re-taking Lyman, a key city in Donetsk
- And at least 30 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a Russian rocket strike on a civilian convoy in Zaporizhzhia.
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Source: BBC
