MOSCOW: In recent developments around the Russian-Ukraine war, Vladimir Putin, President of Russia officially announced the annexation of four regions. These four regions are Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Additionally, he asserted that "this is the will of millions of people."
According to reports, Putin stated that the residents of the four annexed regions would be Russia's "citizens forever".
Addressing a Kremlin ceremony in St George's Hall, Putin spoke a long speech in which he said, "There are four new regions of Russia." Reports of the view that the speech comprised highly critical rhetoric about Ukraine and its Western allies.
Putin denied the allegation of seeking revival of the Soviet Union by the annexation of the four regions. He rather accused the states of the West, which have imposed sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Putin also put up a strong statement by further adding that Russia would now defend its new territory "with all the means at its disposal."
He referred to the outcome of the referendum as "the will of millions of people."
On the other hand, in a recent turn of events, a Russian missile struck a civilian convoy in Zaporizhzhia city of Ukraine on Friday. This attack killed about 30 people while wounding about 88 people, according to reports and statements by Ukrainian officials.
Oleksandr Starukh, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration took to Telegram and stated, "The enemy launched a rocket attack on a civilian humanitarian convoy on the way out of Zaporizhzhia." The people who died in the strike were inclusive of an 11-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, stated the head of Ukraine's National Police, Ihor Klymenko.
Russia commenced a special military operation in Ukraine on On February 24, subsequent to the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics' request for help in defending themselves. A slew of sanctions was imposed by the western countries targeting the Russian economy after the military operation started.
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