Putin declares 'four new regions of Russia' as Moscow annexes parts of Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin connected Friday declared 4 caller regions of the country, soon aft signing a decree formally annexing parts of occupied Ukraine.

"There are 4 caller regions of Russia," Putin said from the Kremlin successful Moscow, according to a translation.

"The results are known, good known," Putin said, referring to the bid of annexations that the West described arsenic a sham. He claimed the results were owed to the volition of millions of people, saying they had the close to self-determination.

Putin's comments travel soon aft Moscow formally incorporated 4 occupied parts of Ukraine into the Russian Federation.

These see 2 self-proclaimed, pro-Russian "republics" successful Luhansk and Donetsk successful the east, and successful Kherson and Zaporizhzhia successful the south.

Unsurprisingly, the votes, seen arsenic illegitimate, amerciable and rigged by Ukraine and its allies, saw a bulk of radical ballot to articulation Russia.

Ukraine said the referendums were carried retired "under the tube of a gun" and called connected its planetary allies to instantly ramp up terrible sanctions connected Russia successful bid to deter it from annexing much territory arsenic it did with Crimea successful 2014.

Kyiv said it volition not halt warring until it has reclaimed each past inch of onshore mislaid to Russia and said it volition not negociate with the Kremlin pursuing the alleged votes.

Moscow, for its part, has warned it has "the right" to usage atomic weapons to support its territory and citizens if it feels determination is an existential threat, oregon adjacent if it's attacked by accepted weapons.

This has raised concerns that it could edifice to utilizing atomic weapons against Ukraine present that much regions are annexed and Moscow tin assertion them, nevertheless falsely, arsenic their own. One Ukrainian defence ministry authoritative told CNBC this week that Kyiv understands the menace of specified an onslaught is "real."

It is thought Moscow's latest determination is apt to escalate and prolong the warfare adjacent further, making it much analyzable to scope a peaceful resolution.

Changes to Russia's constitution made successful 2020, nether Putin, mean that it is amerciable for Russia to springiness distant immoderate portion of its territory to a overseas power, meaning it is improbable to ever willingly cede territory backmost to Ukraine.

All the signs constituent to Putin deciding to up the ante successful the war, having ramped up the atomic rhetoric and ordered a subject mobilization that has seen 300,000 reservists called up, with galore trying to fly the draft, to beryllium sent to combat successful Ukraine with mediocre grooming and small equipment.

Western nations person vowed to support supporting Ukraine, repeating the mantra that they volition bash truthful "whatever it takes," but determination are fears that should the warfare proceed for months, and years, up that enactment could wane; there are already concerns that the U.S. and Europe are moving retired of weapons to nonstop Ukraine, which is mostly reliant connected NATO arms to support warring the war.

Meanwhile, Western citizens are coping with the fallout of the warfare successful the signifier of higher vigor and nutrient prices, and could commencement to unit their ain governments to rebuild relations with elephantine vigor and wheat exporter Moscow to easiness these pressures.

Putin has "opened a struggle that is shifting planetary politics, roiling the planetary economy, remaking relations betwixt East and West … arsenic good arsenic the West and Global South … for years, possibly decades, to come," Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer said successful a code Wednesday.

"This still-expanding struggle was, and continues to be, the plan of 1 man, but its effects person upended lives and livelihoods successful each portion of our still-very-much interconnected world."