In Moscow, President Vladimir V. Putin signed decrees to absorb the regions, a widely denounced move that he called the will of the people.
Tag: Sham
Kremlin Pushes for Staging Annexation Votes; U.S. Calls Them a ‘Sham’
With Ukrainian forces on the offensive in the east and south, the Kremlin could use the votes to try to justify absorbing occupied parts of Ukraine and a possible escalation of the war.