After 8 months of abject horror, it has become clear that Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was little more than a pathetic land-grab meant to stroke his imperialist ego.
Putin and his not-so-mighty fighting force have resorted to rape, torture, and genocide in Ukraine, with authorities now investigating over 15,000 instances of potential war crimes and the European Union openly calling for a tribunal.
And for what? Putin’s illegal annexation of 4 regions of Ukraine that his troops don’t even fully control.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has moved to formally annex four Ukrainian territories, signing what he calls “accession treaties” that world powers refuse to recognize. It’s Putin’s latest attempt to redraw the map of Europe at Ukraine’s expense.
“The people made their choice,”said Putin in a signing ceremony at the Kremlin’s St. George hall. “And that choice won’t be betrayed” by Russia, he said.
The Russian leader called on Ukraine to end hostilities and hold negotiations with Moscow — but insisted that the status of the annexed territories was not up for discussion.
The largely-humiliated Putin even found a little manufactured bravado to go with his sham annexations.
“I want the authorities in Kyiv and their real overlords in the West to hear me: The residents of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson are becoming our citizens,” Putin said. “Forever.”
International authorities, including the White House, have condemned the move, pledging in no uncertain terms that the new “borders” will not be recognized on the world’s stage.
Furthermore, there are fears that Putin could use any attempted liberation efforts by Ukrainian authorities to justify a nuclear strike, as a liberal interpretation of Moscow’s military doctrine could support such a despicable act.
