Kremlin-backed officials in Ukraine on Wednesday appealed to President Vladimir Putin to annex the regions under their control after the territories held votes described by Kyiv and the West as a “sham”.
Ukraine called on the EU to hit Russia with more sanctions and on NATO to send more weapons to the front lines after officials deployed by the Kremlin announced the alleged findings late Tuesday.
The appeal came despite repeated warnings from Moscow that it could use its nuclear arsenal to defend the areas from a Ukrainian counter-offensive that has already reclaimed large chunks of territory this month.
“Ukraine cannot and will not tolerate attempts by Russia to conquer any part of our country,” said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The United States on Wednesday announced a new weapons and supplies package worth $1.1 billion, including precision missile systems, ammunition, armored vehicles and radars.
The European Commission proposed new sanctions on Russian exports worth €7 billion, an oil price cap, an expanded travel blacklist and an asset freeze.
The EU has criticized the “illegal” vote, saying the results were “false”, while the White House and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said they would “never” recognize them.
British Prime Minister Liz Truss and her Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau vowed to ignore the vote and offer more support to Kyiv.
Lugansk was the first Russian-controlled region of Ukraine that Putin called for action, followed shortly thereafter by the recently conquered southern regions of Zaporizhia and Kherson.
“Our residents have made a historic decision and decided to become part of the multinational population of the Russian Federation,” Kremlin-installed leader in Kherson Vladimir Saldo said in a statement published on social media.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday the regions made a “conscious and free decision” to annex.
Only Donetsk — which, together with Lugansk, forms the industrial Donbass region that has been partially controlled by pro-Kremlin separatists since 2014 — has yet to formally ask Putin for annexation.
The call to Putin marks a turning point in the seven-month invasion, as Russian officials in Moscow suggest they could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, and Putin calls in thousands of reservists to solidify the Kremlin’s authority in the areas.
– ‘What do we have in the end?’ –
The four territories – Kherson and Zaporizhia in the south; Donetsk and Lugansk to the east – creating a crucial land corridor between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014.
All five together make up about 20 percent of Ukraine, whose forces have been pushed back in recent weeks.
Despite these successes – particularly in the north-east – Russian forces have attacked the second largest city, Kharkiv, and a volley of missiles hit a train station overnight, cutting off power to more than 18,000 homes.
Iryna Mayor, 51, a machinist in the wagon shop, paused as she cleared debris and laid out damp and torn record books to dry, angrily mocking the invasion.
“We are Russian speakers, and what have we achieved? Do we have peace, brotherhood? No, you can see what we have,” she explained, pointing to the distorted debris surrounding the missile craters.
Lawmakers are expected to vote hastily to annex the territories once the results are announced, and Russian news outlets said Putin could sign a law formalizing the land grabs this week.
– ‘I’m in shock’ –
Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine coincided with his decision to call up hundreds of thousands of reservists to support Russia’s fighting forces in eastern Ukraine.
The move has sparked panic, protests and an exodus among Russian military-age men to neighboring countries like Georgia and Kazakhstan.
Moscow announced on Wednesday it would stop issuing passports to Russian men called up for duty and close a region bordering Russia to passenger cars, both moves stoking fears the borders could be closed entirely.
On the same day, a Russian court remanded three young poets for two months after they took part in a demonstration against the mobilization, human rights NGO OVD-Info said.
At a military recruiting office in St. Petersburg, confusion and resignation reign as conscripts and their families say goodbye.
Nikita, a 25-year-old reservist, was in tears as he held hands with his 22-year-old fiancee as he said goodbye.
“If you have to go, you have to,” he said.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m shocked,” Alina said, her gaze fixed on Nikita.
Along Ukraine’s frontline in the Kharkiv region, six people were wounded by Russian attacks, Kyiv officials said, while five civilians were killed and ten others injured by Moscow’s forces.
