Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday announced the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine following the outcome of the referendums, according to which a large majority of locals wanted to sever ties with Kyiv.
Four territories Ukraine considers to be its provinces have approved through referendums Moscow's initiative to join the Russian Federation, it was reported Tuesday in the Donbas region.
Residents in the eastern Ukrainian republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in the Donbas regions and in other parts of Russian-controlled territories began voting Friday in a referendum with which Moscow seeks to legitimize the military deployment in the area since February.
This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the call-up of 300,000 reservists to reinforce positions in Ukraine following a speech by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, who announced that they will be called up to the army following the partial mobilization that is stirring up the conflict on Ukrainian territory.
The European Union common currency, the Euro sank to a two-decade low of US$0.9810 on Thursday. It came after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the partial mobilization of reservists in an escalation of the war in Ukraine and after the Federal Reserve implemented a 75 basis points increase to the interest rate.
Over 1,000 Russian protesters have been arrested after they took to the streets in response to Vladimir Putin's announcement regarding a partial military mobilization involving some 300,000 reserve soldiers for the offensive in Ukraine.
Germany is to nationalize gas giant Uniper to secure energy supplies amid the war in Ukraine. The deal will see the German government take on a 98.5% stake in the firm at a cost of €8.5bn (£7.4bn).
Moscow and Kyiv carried out Wednesday an unexpected swap of prisoners of war (POWs) with 215 Russian and 55 Ukrainian prisoners released, it was reported.
US President Joseph Biden said during his appearance Wednesday at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that Russian leader Vladimir Putin's attitudes challenged Ukraine's very right to exist.
Iran is reportedly gearing up to slash the price of its sanctioned crude oil stored offshore Singapore, in an attempt to recover the China market from Russia, reports The Straits Times quoting local industry sources.