Putin annexes four Ukrainian territories and escalates energy warfare against Europe

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Putin has announced the annexation of the four new territories into Russia, namely, Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, and in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south. The announcement was made at the Georgian Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace at 15:00 (1200 GMT), where a signing ceremony took place. A celebratory concert on Red Square is planned to take place later this evening. The annexation comes following a referendum, which has been condemned by the West as a “sham” because it was “held at gunpoint” in the occupied regions.

Several hundred people attended the signing ceremony at which the Russian President gave a speech prior to signing the annexation documents. In his speech, Putin continued to refer to the war in Ukraine as a "special military operation", he reiterated Russia's strenght and recalled historical events during which "the West had repeatedly attempted to weaken Russia". He also warned that the people living in the four regions are becoming permanent Russian citizens, and briefly pointed to the use of nucelar weapons by the US in the past, which set a precedent for the whole world. The signing of the documents was followed by the Russian anthem and a handshake between Putin and the leaders of the four annexed regions.

The EU has condemned the annexation of the four regions and has promised to continue supporting Ukraine. 

The illegal annexation proclaimed by Putin won’t change anything.

All territories illegally occupied by Russian invaders are Ukrainian land and will always be part of this sovereign nation.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) September 30, 2022

Experts worry of the steps Putin will take next, especially given his recent statements that he would not refrain from using nuclear weapons if necessary. The Russian leader has already warned that Ukrainian attempts to regain the four annexed regions will be treated as an attack on Russian territory. There are fears he could use any such attempt to launch a strike using tactical nuclear weapons, which despite being smaller than strategic nuclear weapons, would still have devastating consequences for Europe and beyond, experts warn.

There are more signs of the escalation of the war. The annexation comes following reports of Russia’s sabotage on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines on 26 September 2022. According to the British Ministry of Defense, the explosions of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines were likely "premeditated and planned". German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has warned West European countries that they should prepare for the worst. Furthermore, a representative of the European Commission has also said that it is clear these incidents are not a coincidence and that they had been carried out with explosives dropped into the sea several weeks before detonation.

The Nord Stream, which delivered Russian gas to Europe, has now indefinitely been shut down as a result of the leaks. Although Russia had already cut off gas supplies to several countries over the summer and halted flows to others, under the pretext of maintenance, the latest sabotage of the pipelines shows that Putin is escalating the energy war against Europe.