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Ukraine war

Putin declares annexation of Ukrainian lands in Kremlin ceremony

LONDON, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday presided over a ceremony to annex four Ukrainian regions partly occupied by his forces, escalating his seven-month war and taking it into an unpredictable new phase.
Putin declares annexation of Ukrainian lands in Kremlin ceremony Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with the members for Russian security Council via a video conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 29 September 2022. EPA-EFE/GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN / POOL MANDATORY CREDIT
Reuters
By Reuters
30 Sep 2022
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"This is the will of millions of people," he said in a speech before hundreds of dignitaries in the St George's Hall of the Kremlin.

The ceremony took place three days after the completion of hastily staged referendums in which Moscow's proxies in the occupied regions claimed majorities of up to 99% in favour of joining Russia.

Ukraine and Western governments described those votes as bogus, illegitimate and conducted at gunpoint.

In a speech repeatedly interrupted by applause, Putin declared that Russia had four new regions.

He urged Ukraine to cease military action and return to the negotiating table. Kyiv has vowed to recapture all the lands seized by Russia and said that Russia's decision to annex the territories had destroyed any prospect of talks.

By Mark Trevelyan

(Writing by Mark Trevelyan; editing by Jonathan Oatis/Guy Faulconbridge)

Comments

ALAN PATERSON Sep 30, 2022, 04:46 PM

May I be amongst the first to congratulate the ANC and its bastard children the ANC Youth League on their unstinting support for their communist allies. I assume Cyril will be flying off shortly to join the Youth League for the celebrations in Moscow. Far more important than sorting out our little energy crisis, etc, etc The fact that we will soon become a pariah state in the eyes of other civilised nations is a small price to pay for another glorious day in the history of our odious government!

Peter Tuffin Sep 30, 2022, 05:35 PM

A pariah state, ONCE AGAIN.

Johann Olivier Sep 30, 2022, 06:04 PM

Communists have their serious issues, but Putler is not one of them. He is no communist. He is a kleptocrat. South Africans know all about those. Calling Putler a communist simply muddies the water (for ideological reasons?)

Robert K Sep 30, 2022, 05:28 PM

It's time to call the bluff on this psychotic sack of excrement.

Michael Clark Sep 30, 2022, 09:17 PM

It just boggles my mind that we have such an inhumane government, guns down miners in cold blood starves 164 black helpless patients to death, watches 90 children starve to death every month and now the ANC celebrates to invasion and destruction of another country. Shame on us all.

Cunningham Ngcukana Oct 1, 2022, 01:40 AM

The ANC has said it is neutral as the US, UK and EU have vowed to sanction every country, entity and individual who supports the thug in Moscow and his actions. The SACP will be sanctioned and its thugs will not be able to enter the US, UK, EU, Japan, South Korea, Middle East countries like UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia except for Iran and Syria. Any company, bank, political figure will feel the wrath of the West. On We dnesday, Blinken was meeting with Jaishankar in India that has now sent a message to thug the war is costly and it must end. China has done the same. The three clowns will be in the black books of the US, UK and EU and Nordic countries because this is not a joke or a matter of conspiracy theories. Our spineless President knows it and was told so by the US. Some amongst us have no illusions nor time to engage with fools who support Russian barbarism our priority must be our economy and matters of energy.