Will defend our land using all means, says Putin as Russia annexes 4 regions of Ukraine

Mangalore Today News Network

Kyiv, Sep 30, 2022: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday announced the annexation of four regions in Ukraine after holding ’referendums’ last week. Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia have been formally incorporated into Russia in a Kremlin ceremony.

 

"We will defend our land by all means. This is the liberation mission of the Russian people," Vladimir Putin said in what appears to be the latest thinly veiled reference to nuclear weapons.

The Russia-installed leaders of the four regions that pleaded to Putin for annexation this week had all gathered in the Kremlin.

"Russia will ensure the security of the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as help restore infrastructure," Putin added.

The Kharkiv region, an early target of Moscow’s February 24 invasion and home to Ukraine’s largely Russian-speaking second city, did not feature in the event, after a stunning counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces. Now, Putin has called on Kyiv to ’immediately’ cease military action and return to the negotiation table.

"Russia is ready to return to the negotiating table with Ukraine. But Moscow will not discuss the results of the referendums in the liberated territories," Vladimir Putin said in the grand ceremony, adding that people living in these regions have become Russian citizens forever.

Vladimir Putin also launched a passionate defence of Russia’s action and accused the West of trying to colonise Russia. "The West makes every effort to preserve the neo-colonial system, which allows it to rob the world and collect tributes from humanity," he said.

Speaking about the use of nuclear weapons in the newly annexed regions, Putin said the United States is the only country to have used nuclear weapons twice, creating a precedent.

Courtesy: India Today