Annexation

2022 - 9 - 30

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Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

7 key moments in Putin's annexation speech (The Washington Post)

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.

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Image courtesy of "CNN"

Annexation fails to hide gulf between what Putin wants and what his ... (CNN)

As Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted a remarkable, fake ceremony – in the grandeur of the Kremlin's St. George's Hall and with and orchestrated crowds of ...

Back on the ground, Ukraine’s methodical and deliberate progress is a cold dose of reality for a Kremlin that still seems to think it can create reality by the force of its own will. With the exception of Pakistan and North Korea, most of the nuclear powers would likely be able to achieve their military goals without resorting to the Bomb. Indeed, the central policy takeaway from Putin’s Friday rant against the West – a direct call for a ceasefire and a return to the negotiating table – reflected how the annexation ceremony was taking place against the backdrop of extremely bad news militarily. A Ukrainian soldier posted a video Friday in front of the administration building of Yampil, a tiny settlement to Lyman’s east, from which Russia has apparently retreated, suggesting that Lyman is for the most part isolated to its rear from the rest of the Russian military. The Ukrainian encirclement of the supply hub of Izium was central to the recent rout of Russian forces all over Kharkiv region. Their focus is the railway hub of Lyman, which has gained outsized importance because of Russia’s dogged defense and the strategic role it may have in their control of the entire Luhansk region.

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Image courtesy of "Reuters"

Reaction to Putin proclaiming annexation of Ukrainian lands (Reuters)

Sept 30 (Reuters) - U.S. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN. "The United States condemns Russia's fraudulent attempt today to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory.

We will never recognise this illegal annexation." "We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine's application for accelerated accession to NATO." The United States will always honor Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders." "The United States condemns Russia’s fraudulent attempt today to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory. "The UK will never ignore the sovereign will of those people and we will never accept the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as anything other than Ukrainian territory." "We condemn the illegal annexation in the strongest terms."

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Image courtesy of "The Atlantic"

Putin's Newest Annexation Is Dire for Russia Too (The Atlantic)

His baldly illegitimate claim to four Ukrainian provinces shows contempt for the global order—and his own subjects. By Anne Applebaum. Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin knows the real situation—and the only thing it has left in the toolbox to prevent protests in Russia is fear.” If, once upon a time, the threat of the gulag was used to keep all Soviet citizens in a state of permanent fear, the threat of the war in Ukraine is now being used in exactly the same way against Putin’s subjects. The battle against independent thinkers is now expanding beyond Putin’s opponents and is reaching even Russians who felt too distant, too apathetic, or too afraid to protest in the past. Since the war began, the crackdown at home has also accelerated, because the war provides the context in which dissent can be portrayed as treason, and because any criticism of the war is a crime. Some simply want to live in a country governed by different rules, a country that does not have murderous designs on its neighbors, a country that is not a menace to the world. Other inmates are [forbidden](https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/09/russia-prison-administration-imposes-harsh-conditions-on-aleksei-navalny/) to speak with him and even to look at him. [16,400](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62662317) Russians have been detained in prison for protesting. Nothing about this act has any legitimacy, and that is also part of the point. [went house to house](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63013356) collecting so-called ballots, and some people, left destitute by the war, [were bribed](https://www.yahoo.com/video/occupiers-trying-buy-votes-referendum-120734521.html) in exchange for showing up to vote. He will even raise the stakes, will try to frighten Ukraine and the West by calling Ukraine’s self-defense an existential threat to Russia that requires an extraordinary response—perhaps even a nuclear response, echoing a threat he has made repeatedly since he began his invasion. Putin’s war—Russia’s war—is also a war on a particular idea of world order and international law, an idea upheld not just by Europeans and North Americans, but by most of the rest of the world, indeed by the United Nations itself. Even as Putin was speaking in Moscow, the Ukrainians [announced](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-forces-encircling-russian-units-around-lyman-stronghold-spokesperson-2022-09-30/) that they were surrounding and cutting off a large group of Russian soldiers in Lyman, a strategically significant city in Donetsk province.

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Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Putin's annexation speech: more angry taxi driver than head of state (The Guardian)

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.

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Image courtesy of "Bloomberg"

Putin Says Annexation Is Forever, Defends Ukraine Land Grab (Bloomberg)

Vladimir Putin vowed his annexation of four occupied regions in Ukraine is irreversible, as the Russian president formalized Europe's biggest land grab ...

Treasury Imposes Swift and Severe Costs on Russia for Putin's ... (Treasury)

Treasury Sanctions International Suppliers for Supporting Russia's Defense Sector and Warns of Costs for Those Outside Russia Who Provide Political or ...

OFAC previously designated ten of these members of the Federation Council, indicated above with an asterisk, pursuant to E.O. 14024 for being or having been leaders, officials, senior executive officers, or members of the board of directors of the GoR. Saint Petersburg Governor and Russian Security Council member Aleksandr Dmitrievich Beglov (Beglov) was designated on April 6, 2022, pursuant to E.O 14024 for being a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of the GoR. Chechikhin is a business partner of U.S.-designated Russian oligarch Oleg Vladimirovich Deripaska. Novak has held various roles in the GoR during his career and has been heavily involved in Russia’s efforts to increase its economic output abroad. Olga Nikolaevna Skorobogatova (Skorobogatova) is the First Deputy Governor of the CBR. Since becoming the Governor of the CBR in 2013, she has overseen its efforts to protect the Kremlin from Western sanctions imposed as a response to Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014 and further invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Sohim was designated today pursuant to E.O. Sohim is a Belarusian state-owned textile and fiber manufacturer that exports to Russia. Vladimir Aleksandrovich Ivanov (Ivanov), Sergey Vyacheslavovich Byzov (Byzov), and Dmitrii Vladimirovich Galin (Galin) are all Russia-based individuals who represented Radioavtomatika on its leadership team. 14024 for being or having been leaders, officials, senior executive officers, or members of the boards of directors of Radioavtomatika, an entity whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to E.O. sanctions on Russia and Belarus; and (iv) providing material support to Russian entities or individuals that are subject to certain blocking sanctions.

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Image courtesy of "CNBC"

U.S. announces new sanctions on Russia in response to Ukraine ... (CNBC)

The Biden administration announced new economic sanctions on hundreds of Russian officials in response to the Kremlin's illegal annexation of four regions ...

The Office of the U.N. Their battlefield successes have dented the reputation of the Kremlin's mighty war machine. Also new on Friday is the addition of Elvira Sakhipzadovna Nabiullina, Russia's central bank governor and a former advisor to Putin. General Assembly](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/21/ukrainian-president-volodymyr-zelenskyy-speaks-at-un-general-assembly.html) last week, Zelenskyy called for more arms as his nation carries out an era-defining fight for democratic principles and global order. So far, the U.N. Meanwhile, the State Department will impose visa restrictions on Ochur-Suge Mongush, for a gross violation of human rights perpetrated against a Ukrainian prisoner of war and 910 individuals. commitment to more than $16.2 billion since [Russia's invasion](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/28/russia-ukraine-war-updates.html) in late February. What's more, the Department of Commerce is adding 57 entities to its export controls list. "We are taking our decisive step by signing Ukraine's application for accelerated accession to NATO," he added. [announced $1.1 billion in additional security assistance](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/28/biden-approves-1point1-billion-in-security-assistance-for-ukraine.html) for Ukraine. Earlier this week, the White House said the U.S. The Treasury Department named 14 international suppliers that assisted Russia's military supply chains.

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Image courtesy of "TIME"

Putin's Annexation Has 'No Legitimacy,' Biden Says, as US Issues ... (TIME)

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.

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Image courtesy of "CNN"

US imposing 'swift and severe costs' on Russia following Putin's ... (CNN)

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.

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Image courtesy of "NPR"

Putin illegally annexes territories in Ukraine, in spite of global ... (NPR)

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin has moved to formally annex four Ukrainian territories, signing what he calls "accession treaties" that world ...

was the world's aggressor, leaving a history of destruction and oppression in its wake. The sanctions target government officials and leaders, as well as their family members, and officials of the Russian and Belarusian military. "The West decides who has a right to self-determination ... As part of the action, the U.S. "I want the authorities in Kyiv and their real overlords in the West to hear me: The residents of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson are becoming our citizens," Putin said. Ukraine blamed the attack on Russia. As he delivered his address, Zelenskyy stood in front of his office in his signature green t-shirt alongside his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and parliament chair Ruslan Stefanchuk. "Not only Ukraine's enemy, but also an enemy of life itself, humanity, law and truth." "The people made their choice," said Putin in a signing ceremony at the Kremlin's St. "The United States condemns Russia's fraudulent attempt today to annex sovereign Ukrainian territory. It's Putin's latest attempt to redraw the map of Europe at Ukraine's expense. "And that choice won't be betrayed" by Russia, he said.

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Image courtesy of "Axios"

Biden admin slaps new sanctions on Russia after annexation (Axios)

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.

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Image courtesy of "Reuters"

Extracts from Putin's speech at annexation ceremony (Reuters)

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.

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Image courtesy of "CNN"

Putin announces annexation of Ukrainian regions in defiance of ... (CNN)

President Vladimir Putin announced Russia would seize of nearly a fifth of Ukraine on Friday, declaring that the millions of people living there would be ...

Heated protests broke out in several regions with significant ethnic minority populations, [ including the predominately Muslim region of Dagestan](https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/26/europe/russia-dagestan-protests-mobilization-intl-hnk/index.html). [could lay the groundwork](https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/29/europe/annexation-russia-ukraine-analysis-intl/index.html) for a dangerous new phase in Russia’s assault on Ukraine. Putin’s announcement of a “partial mobilization” last week led many Russians who do not support the war to fear that they will be drawn into the conflict. Several who spoke with CNN voiced fears that the government could impose a draft at a later date. Putin has previously vowed to defend Russian territory “with all the means at our disposal,” including nuclear weapons. Ukrainian forces have, in recent weeks, [successfully expelled Russian forces from parts of Donetsk](https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/30/europe/ukraine-offensive-sviatogirsk-intl/index.html) thanks in part to the advanced weaponry sent by the US and other allies. To date, we’ve not seen them take these actions,” US Secretary of State Blinken said Friday. And it has its place in the world,” Putin said. Members of the G7 – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – and the European Union have vowed to never recognize Russian sovereignty over the regions and to impose sanctions on Russia. The British government said it would implement services sanctions and an export ban that target “Russian economic vulnerabilities.” People living in Luhansk and Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are becoming our citizens. “We see who threatens us,” Zelensky said.

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Image courtesy of "The New York Times"

Putin Frames Illegal Annexation as Part of Existential Battle With West (The New York Times)

In Moscow, the Russian leader declares four Ukrainian regions part of his country, a widely denounced move. The U.S. and Britain ordered new sanctions on ...

The proxy leaders of the four provinces traveled to Moscow and appealed to Mr. The measures approved by the bloc’s energy ministers focused on taxing energy-company profits — the proceeds of which would be used to fund subsidies for struggling businesses and households — and a mandatory reduction in electricity consumption. The European Council, which is made up of the union’s government ministers, said in a statement that “the nuclear threats made by the Kremlin, the military mobilization and the strategy of seeking to falsely present Ukraine’s territory as Russia’s” would “not shake our resolve.” “This is the will of millions of people,” he said before signing decrees to declare four Ukrainian regions part of Russia. Annexing the provinces could be used as a rationale for drafting Ukrainian men living there to fight other Ukrainians in the war, helping to solve a shortage of troops in the Russian Army. In a video, he accused the Kremlin of trying to “steal something that does not belong to it,” saying, “Ukraine will not allow that.” Putin has said the expansion of NATO would leave Russia hemmed in with Western missiles on its doorstep, and it appeared to be one of the pretexts for his invasion. He accused America of “Satanism” and of trying to impose its culture on the rest of the world. Biden said the United States would “continue to support Ukraine’s efforts to regain control of its territory by strengthening its hand militarily and diplomatically,” citing $1.1 billion in new security aid his administration announced for Ukraine this week. “This is a clear violation of international law and the United Nations Charter,” he added. His spokesman said earlier in the day that after the annexation of the four regions — a move that virtually no other country is expected to recognize — an attack on those regions would be treated as an attack on Russia. secretary of state, said in a separate statement that “the United States unequivocally rejects Russia’s fraudulent attempt to change Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders”

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Image courtesy of "TribLIVE"

Wilkinsburg group restarts Pittsburgh annexation process (TribLIVE)

A petition filed Thursday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court seeks to start annexation proceedings for Wilkinsburg to be incorporated into Pittsburgh.

If approved by the court, Pittsburgh City Council will have three months to approve or disapprove the effort. It [ultimately was rejected by Pittsburgh City Council](https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-city-council-votes-down-wilkinsburg-annexation-for-now/) in a 7-2 vote. Some have said they also are concerned annexation would result in gentrification. The Wilkinsburg CDC collected signatures from nearly twice as many residents. [Those opposing](https://triblive.com/local/some-wilkinsburg-residents-campaign-for-pittsburgh-merger-borough-leaders-opposed/) annexation have said it would change the borough’s character and end local control of the services Wilkinsburg still offers. The Wilkinsburg CDC also was behind the first annexation effort, which was opposed by Wilkinsburg Council but supported by Pittsburgh officials such as

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Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Putin illegally proclaims ... (The Washington Post)

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.

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Image courtesy of "BBC News"

What Russian annexation means for Ukraine's regions (BBC News)

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.

The real world impact of Russia's annexation of Ukrainian regions (NPR)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has formally annexed four regions of Ukraine. Ukraine responded by submitting an application to quickly ascend into NATO.

That is NPR's Jason Beaubien talking to us from the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. But he believed that if he stayed and Kherson became part of Russia, he would get drafted into the Russian army and be forced to fight against his fellow Ukrainians. And part of what's crazy here is that this is one of the main reasons Putin cited initially as his reason for invading Ukraine was to stop NATO from expanding. And he decided that he had to get out of Kherson. Putin again today - he warned that that would be met with the full force of Russia's military, which we all know includes nuclear weapons. And Kherson is one of the Russian-occupied regions that was just officially annexed. CHANG: Well, can I ask, like, what is the real-world impact of these so-called annexations by Russia? And Zelenskyy went on to say that Ukraine is willing to enter negotiations with Russia, but not with Putin. Putin, in his address, said he's ready to negotiate with Ukraine, but not about the four territories he just annexed, saying that those will be part of Russia forever. Russian President Vladimir Putin today formally made four regions of Ukraine that are currently occupied by his troops territories of the Russian Federation. Like, what's been his response to this declaration by Russia that they're annexing - what?

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Image courtesy of "GOV.UK"

Sanctions in response to Putin's illegal annexation of Ukrainian ... (GOV.UK)

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.

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Image courtesy of "UN News"

Russia vetoes Security Council resolution condemning attempted ... (UN News)

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.

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Image courtesy of "Reuters"

EU condemns Russian annexation, will never accept "illegal ... (Reuters)

The European Union said on Friday it firmly condemned the annexation by Russia of occupied Ukraine regions, adding it would never recognise "illegal" ...

They will further increase pressure on Russia to end its war of aggression," it said. "We do not and will never recognise the illegal 'referenda' that Russia has engineered as a pretext for this further violation of Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, nor their falsified and illegal results," the statement said. BRUSSELS, Sept 30 (Reuters) - The European Union said on Friday it firmly condemned the annexation by Russia of occupied Ukraine regions, adding it would never recognise "illegal" referendums held there and would tighten its sanctions to increase pressure on Moscow.

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Image courtesy of "cleveland.com"

Olmsted Township property annexation broached with Berea (again) (cleveland.com)

A 2019 petition sought unsuccessfully to annex to Berea a 72-acre Olmsted Township parcel, and it now appears that another annexation request for the same ...

(who said Ryan Homes currently is under contract as the builder) and engineer Dan Neff of Neff and Associates about a new project concept. “Ultimately, the question is what’s in the city’s best interest? “You (as a developer) can go into an economic development district that allows you to tap into some of the resources and tax abatement you’re looking for without having to have unplanned development, which is effectively what this is.” He noted that the local portion of real estate taxes generated from the subdivision would stay in Olmsted Township, with the appropriate allocation going to the Olmsted Falls City Schools and not the Berea City School District. 26 Coordinating Committee meeting, attorney Greg Sponseller informally spoke alongside developer Richard Beran of Builders and Developers Co. [Berea City Council earlier this year enacted legislation increasing minimum lot size requirements to control the number of homes on any future annexed property.](https://www.cleveland.com/community/2022/06/berea-enacts-annexation-legislation-to-control-housing-density.html)

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Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

Russia's annexation puts world 'two or three steps away' from ... (The Washington Post)

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a ceremony in Moscow on Sept. 30, 2022, to declare the annexation of four regions of Ukraine. (Grigory Sysoyev/Sputnik/ ...

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_6) in a dramatic bid to reverse setbacks in his war on Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky also said Friday that Ukraine is [applying for “accelerated ascension” into NATO](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/30/ukraine-application-nato-russia-war/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_4), in an apparent answer to the annexations. [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_5) on Sept. [Russia-Ukraine war](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/ukraine-russia/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_17). [annex four occupied regions of Ukraine](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/30/putin-ukraine-annexation-russia-ceremony/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_1), following staged referendums that were widely denounced as illegal. “Even though Putin is dangerous, he is not suicidal, and those around him aren’t suicidal,” said Ben Hodges, a former commander of U.S. It would cause the opposite, it would double down Western support and I do think there would be a U.S. Because the war is being fought along a vast, 1,500-mile front line, troops are too thinly spread out for there to be an obvious target whose obliteration would change the course of the war. India, which had seemed to side with Russia in the earliest days of the war, But the threats appear only to have strengthened Western resolve to continue sending weapons to Ukraine and the Ukrainian military is continuing to advance into Russian-occupied territory. “It is a very dangerous situation and it needs to be taken seriously by Western policymakers.” Most probably, they say, he is hoping to deter the West from providing ever more sophisticated military assistance to Ukraine while the mobilization of an additional 300,000 troops allows Russia to reverse or at least halt its military setbacks on the battlefield.

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Image courtesy of "The Wall Street Journal"

Russia-Ukraine War Latest Updates: Putin Announces Annexation ... (The Wall Street Journal)

Latest coverage as Russian President Vladimir Putin announces that Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia will be incorporated into the Russian ...

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Image courtesy of "NPR"

Russia's Illegal Annexation Ushers In A Dangerous New Phase Of ... (NPR)

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the formal annexation of four territories in Ukraine on Friday, after the conclusion of what U.S. Secretary of ...

This episode was produced by Connor Donevan and Lauren Hodges. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the formal annexation of four territories in Ukraine on Friday, after the conclusion of what U.S. [Kat Lonsdorf](https://www.npr.org/people/630949669/kat-lonsdorf) talked with Ukrainians near the frontline about how the turmoil is affecting them.

Slow down on Coeur Terre annexation (Coeur d'Alene Press)

There is no obligation to annex this property into Coeur d'Alene at this time.

Insist that it be a fully planned project whether in conjunction with Post Falls or all in Coeur d'Alene but all of it. Now is the time to plan carefully, figure out the whole 1,000-acre plan, at a density that is in keeping with the rest of our area. Supposedly the portion of the property that is in the “Post Falls Sphere of Impact” is, according to the Post Falls City Manager, “on hold” until the Huetter Bypass alignment (or if it even happens) is resolved.

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Image courtesy of "Williamsport Sun-Gazette"

Biden vows Russia won't 'get away with' Ukraine annexation (Williamsport Sun-Gazette)

WASHINGTON — The United States and its allies hit back at Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian regions on Friday, slapping sanctions on more than 1000 peo.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development this week said the global economy is set to lose $2.8 trillion in output in 2023 because of the conflict. The U.S. Treasury designated hundreds of members of Russia’s parliament, leaders of the country’s financial and military infrastructure and suppliers for sanctions designations that include asset freezes and bans on Americans doing business with them. The White House said Sullivan had spoken with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to highlight the U.S. This suggests the U.S. has not seen that “Russia is actually doing anything that suggests they are contemplating the use of nuclear weapons.” This territory is and will remain Ukraine, and Ukraine has every right to defend its land, to defend its people and to take back the territory that Russia has seized from it.” Meanwhile, the U.S. … This is a clear violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.” For now, Biden said the new U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, echoing Biden, said the U.S. General Assembly, where a vast majority of other members also voiced support for respecting the territorial integrity of all nations On Friday, he used the moment to reiterate that the U.S.

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Image courtesy of "Haaretz"

Israel rejects Russian annexation of Ukraine territory as Putin ... (Haaretz)

U.S. President Joe Biden Warns That New American Sanctions Would Target Those Who Provided Political or Economic Support to the Annexation Drive; ...

and its allies have promised even more sanctions on Russia and billions of dollars in extra support for Ukraine as the Kremlin duplicates the annexation playbook used for Crimea. George’s Hall of the palace in Moscow that is Putin's seat of power. “The enemy rages and seeks revenge for our steadfastness and his failures,” he posted on his Telegram channel. The Kremlin paved the way for the land-grabs with “referendums,” sometimes at gunpoint, that Ukraine and Western powers universally dismissed as rigged shams. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would view a Ukrainian attack on the taken territory as an act of aggression against Russia itself. The southern Kherson region and part of the 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. Asked about Russia’s plans, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that at the very least Moscow aims to “liberate” the entire Donetsk region. And we don’t pay attention to those whose time to take pills has come," Andrii Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian president's office, said. But he warned that Russia would never give up the absorbed regions and would protect them as part of its sovereign territory. Putin attacked the West's liberalism, saying that, unlike Russia, it had turned away from "traditional" and "religious" values. Following the declaration, the United States announced it is imposing additional sanctions on hundreds of Russian individuals and companies, and President Biden condmned Russias 'fraudulent attempt today to annex soverign Ukranian territory'

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Image courtesy of "Kyodo News Plus"

Russia annexation pushes Ukraine's NATO accession bid as war ... (Kyodo News Plus)

Russia's unilateral declaration to annex four occupied Ukrainian regions has pushed Ukraine to formally apply to join the trans-Atlantic military alliance, ...

[Putin declares annexation of 4 Ukraine regions, prompts new sanctions](/news/2022/09/40b1c89eaa1d-putin-signs-decrees-to-recognize-independence-of-2-ukrainian-regions.html) [Japan sees Russia annexation a violation of int'l law, PM tells Zelenskyy](/news/2022/09/610a0fd42dd6-breaking-news-japan-arranging-kishida-zelenskyy-talks-over-russias-invasion-govt.html) [U.S. Secretary General Antonio Guterres saying on Twitter that the referendums "can't be called a genuine expression of the popular will," adding that any annexation of a state's territory by another state based on threat or use of force violates the U.N. The two countries were given a clear path to membership in June after Turkey withdrew its opposition.

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Image courtesy of "Newsweek"

Putin Setting Successors Up for 'Political Suicide' With Ukraine ... (Newsweek)

Annexation is likely to hand a "kamikaze mission" for future Russian leaders wanting to repair relations with the West, Yuri Zhukov told Newsweek.

"I want the Kyiv authorities and their real masters in the West to hear me so that they remember this," the Russian president said. But, now that 300,000 citizens have been mobilized, Zhukov said families of soldiers have essentially become "stakeholders" in Putin's plans to expand the Russian Federation. Putin's also tying the hands of any future Russian leader "since giving up these territories will potentially be political suicide." The referendums were dismissed by the international community as being illegitimate and the U.S. [occupied Ukrainian territories](https://www.newsweek.com/russia-lyman-counteroffensive-donetsk-ukraine-war-1747966)—the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions—after an overwhelming majority of residents voted in referendums to join the Russian Federation. In a Friday address officially annexing the regions, Putin signaled to Kyiv that Moscow has no plans to back down from its invasion of Ukraine and will continue the fight for as long as necessary.

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Image courtesy of "Reuters"

Turkey rejects Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory (Reuters)

Turkey, a NATO member, has conducted a diplomatic balancing act since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Ankara opposes Western sanctions on Russia and has ...

Ankara opposes Western sanctions on Russia and has close ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, its Black Sea neighbours. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Turkey, a NATO member, has conducted a diplomatic balancing act since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb.

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Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

Ukrainian forces encircle Russian troops in Lyman, a day after ... (The Washington Post)

Ukrainian troops say they have encircled the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region, a day after President Putin illegally annexed the region.

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_6) 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_17). [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_5) on Sept. President Volodymyr Zelensky also said Friday that Ukraine is [applying for “accelerated ascension” into NATO](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/30/ukraine-application-nato-russia-war/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_4), in an apparent answer to the annexations. [annex four occupied regions of Ukraine](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/30/putin-ukraine-annexation-russia-ceremony/?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_1), following staged referendums that were widely denounced as illegal. [Subscribe to our channel](https://t.me/washingtonpost?itid=lb_war-in-ukraine-what-you-need-to-know_18) for updates and exclusive video. [noted ](https://twitter.com/OlegTsarov)on Twitter that the situation in Lyman is “a bad backdrop,” for the annexation celebrations. Ukrainian forces advanced on the city overnight even as Russia put on a [grand ceremony and a pop concert](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/30/putin-ukraine-annexation-russia-ceremony/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5) in Moscow’s Red Square celebrating the annexation. Meanwhile in Ukraine, an adviser to President Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, likened the encirclement of Lyman to the surrounding of the city of Ilovaisk in Donetsk by Russian forces in 2014. On Friday, he made as an ominous reference to the United States’ atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in 1945, calling it a “precedent” for use of the devastating weapons. He [added ](https://t.me/s/serhiy_hayday)bluntly that trapped Russian troops had three options: to try to escape, surrender or risk being killed. Cherevaty said Ukrainian troops had recaptured four villages near Lyman in addition to encircling the city, which is a key supply hub on the western edge of Ukraine’s Donbas region.

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Image courtesy of "CNN"

Ukraine encircles Russian forces near Donetsk, overshadowing ... (CNN)

Ukrainian forces are encircling Russian troops in Russian-occupied Lyman, in the Kramatorsk district of Donetsk, despite Moscow's annexation of the region.

All routes for the supply of ammunition or the retreat of the group are all completely blocked,” he added. “[The liberation] of Lyman is important, because it is another step towards the liberation of the Ukrainian Donbas. “The Russian group in the area of Lyman is surrounded. There has never been such a large group in the encirclement before. “There are several thousand of them. The settlements of Yampil, Novoselivka, Shandryholove, Drobysheve, and Stavky are liberated.

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Image courtesy of "Forbes"

Russia's Fast Retreat: A Day After Putin Announces Annexation ... (Forbes)

Russia said Saturday it was retreating from the eastern Ukrainian city of Lyman, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin decreed the city would be ...

The annexations were widely condemned by international leaders, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres denounced the move as a “dangerous escalation” on Thursday. [Putin Claims Four Ukrainian Regions As Russian In Illegal Annexation](https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/09/30/putin-illegally-annexes-four-ukrainian-regions-amid-international-condemnation/?sh=5144a8272255) (Forbes) [Russian Strike On Civilian Convoy Kills 25 In One Of The Annexed Ukrainian Provinces](https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/09/30/at-least-23-dead-in-zaporizhzhia-after-russia-strikes-civilian-convoy-ukrainian-officials-say/?sh=a74b486243de) (Forbes) [A Russian Regiment, Currently Surrounded In Eastern Ukraine, Has A Tragic History Of Defeat](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/09/30/a-russian-regiment-currently-surrounded-in-eastern-ukraine-has-a-tragic-history-of-defeat/?sh=192da5707cf1) (Forbes) [claimed](https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/09/27/russia-claims-near-unanimous-support-in-dubious-ukraine-annexation-vote-heres-what-happens-next/?sh=37c6b7643c96) Tuesday referendums passed nearly unanimously in the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, and Putin [signed a decree](https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/09/30/putin-illegally-annexes-four-ukrainian-regions-amid-international-condemnation/?sh=5144a8272255) Friday officially annexing the territories. [reportedly encircled](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/09/29/russian-correspondent-thousands-of-russian-troops-are-about-to-get-trapped-in-the-east/?sh=666788392dcd) by Ukrainian troops looking to retake control of the city earlier this week. [posted](https://t.me/s/mod_russia_en) on its official Telegram account that it withdrew from the city, [saying](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/01/ukaine-russia-lyman-donetsk-annexation/) the troops were repositioning to a “more advantageous” location due to the “threat of encirclement.” [decreed](https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/09/30/putin-illegally-annexes-four-ukrainian-regions-amid-international-condemnation/?sh=5144a8272255) the city would be brought under Russian control through a widely condemned annexation in an embarrassingly quick concession from the Kremlin.

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Image courtesy of "Washington Examiner"

Russia annexation fallout hits Capitol Hill: Washington Photos of the ... (Washington Examiner)

Russia's annexation of four parts of Ukraine dominated headlines this week as the West denounced the move as illegal under international law.

Bennie Thompson (D-MS) indicates the Jan. [accelerated accession](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/zelensky-fast-track-nato)" to NATO, the Cold War-era defensive alliance that Ukraine has for years sought to join. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), chairman of the Jan. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) [introduced a bill](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/patriotism-unity/graham-blumenthal-punish-countries-recognize-russias-annexation-ukrainian-territory) that would deny economic and military aid to countries that recognize the land as Russian territory. Friday marked the final legislative day of Congress before a recess that stretches past the elections. [announced sanctions](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/sanctions-russian-central-bank-chief-military-suppliers) on hundreds of Russian officials on Friday in retaliation.

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