Russian President Vladimir Putin announced, on Friday, September 30, 2022, that Russia is annexing four regions of Ukraine. 

In defiance of the international community and international law, Putin on Friday signed treaties to begin the process of absorbing parts of Ukraine into Russia. The four regions being annexed are Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine. 

Putin and the heads of the four regions of Ukraine put their names on treaties for them to join Russia. The action represents a sharp escalation in the seven-month conflict in Ukraine, which began on February 24 when Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine — dubbed as a special military operation.

The signing of these treaties came three days after the completion of "referendums" organized by Moscow on joining Russia that were dismissed by Ukraine and the West as a bare-faced land grab, held at gunpoint and based on lies. The results of the referendums were believed from the beginning to be in Russia's favour as voting in occupied areas would either be rigged or forced.

The four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia comprises around 15 per cent of Ukraine. Along with Crimea which Russia annexed in 2014, Russia now lays claim to —and controls large parts of— around 20 per cent of Ukraine.