Putin Annexes Four Regions Of Ukraine

From left, the leaders of Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions, Vladimir Saldo and Evgeny Balitsky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, as well as the heads of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik © AP / Mikhail Metzel / Kremlin pool  

Daily Mail: Putin annexes four Ukrainian regions and vows to use 'all forces' to defend them raising nuke fears: Ranting despot vows to 'SMASH' the West in blistering Kremlin speech - even as thousands of his troops are surrounded in Donbas 

* President Putin has declared that four region of Ukraine which his troops partly occupy are now part of Russia 

* He ordered Ukraine and its Western allies to stop attacks on them, vowing to use 'all forces' to protect them 

* That raises fears he will resort to using Russia's huge nuclear arsenal, as the war enters a dangerous moment 

* Vow could be put to immediate test, with thousands of Russian troops thought to be surrounded in Donetsk 

Vladimir Putin has declared that occupied parts of Ukraine are now part of Russia after staging sham referendums in four regions, vowing to use 'all our forces to defend them' as the war enters a dangerous new phase. 

The Russian despot, speaking in front of his cronies in Moscow, gave his own warped interpretation of events - saying that 'millions of people' in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia had 'opted' to become vassals of Russia and he would accept their choice, despite voting being carried out at gunpoint and in the midst of a war.

'They are our people, forever,' he said to a standing ovation inside the Kremlin's grand Georgian Hall before calling on Ukraine and its Western allies to abandon hopes of re-taking them, repeating a threat to use 'all forces' to defend the 'new territories' - once again raising fears that he could escalate to using Russia's huge nuclear arsenal.  

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Putin Annexes Four Regions Of Ukraine 

 Live: Putin formally annexes four Ukrainian regions was conflict still rages -- France 24  

UPDATES: Putin Signs Documents on Accession of DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye Region Into Russia -- Sputnik  

Live: LivePutin declares four areas of Ukraine as Russian in illegal annexation -- BBC  

Putin signs treaties annexing Ukrainian regions -- AP 

Putin annexes four regions of Ukraine in major escalation of Russia’s war -- The Guardian  

A defiant Putin proclaims Ukrainian annexation, vows to win war-- Reuters Putin signs decrees paving way for annexation of Ukraine regions -- France 24 

Putin declares ‘four new regions of Russia’ as Moscow illegally annexes parts of Ukraine -- CNBC  

Putin signs treaties on accession of former Ukrainian regions to Russia -- RT 

'People Have Made Their Choice': Putin Marks Support for Four New Regions' Entry Into Russia -- Sputnik