Russia currently holding formal signing ceremony which will annex four Ukrainian territories

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Putin is currently announcing 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 is currently being made at the Georgian Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace at 15:00 (1200 GMT), where a signing ceremony is taking 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.

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, 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 were 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 sabotage of the pipelines shows that Putin is escalating the energy war against Europe.