Thursday 29 September 2022 11:05 PM Putin signs decree recognising two Ukrainian regions as independent states ... trends now
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Vladimir Putin's Russia took another step closer towards annexing vast swathes of Ukraine tonight by recognising two regions of the war-torn country as breakaway territories - after Moscow rigged the outcome of a series of fake referendums there at gunpoint.
The Kremlin dictator signed decrees recognising Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the country's south and east as states independent of Kyiv - a precursor to his deranged plot to illegally absorb around 15% of Ukrainian territory into Russia.
Putin's annexation will take place at an official ceremony followed by a celebratory concert in Moscow's Red Square, where the President is expected to outline his view on why Ukraine has no right to an independent existence.
The stage-managed exercise follows a bogus five-day voting process across Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk that was entirely rigged in favour of becoming part of the Russian Federation. Russian troops even forced Ukrainians at gunpoint to cast their ballots in the sham votes.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spin doctor, said Kremlin-installed
