Russia's referendum to annex Ukrainian territory

 As the United States prepared a U.N. resolution denouncing the referendums as fakes and Russia remained defiant, Russian-installed officials in four of Ukraine's seized areas announced overwhelming support for joining Russia.

Additionally, according to U.S. sources, the US is planning a fresh set of penalties against Russia should Moscow acquire Ukrainian land as well as an upcoming $1.1 billion arms deal for Ukraine.

After Germany, Sweden, and Denmark claimed that attacks caused significant leakage from two Russian energy pipelines, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken stated that the United States and its partners remained committed to European energy security. Whoever the leakers might remain largely unknown.

Votes that were hurriedly organized were held over the course of five days in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as in the southern areas of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which together make up around 15% of Ukrainian territory.

Officials nominated by Russia state that the four provinces' final vote totals on Tuesday ranged from 87% to 99.2% in favor of joining Russia. On October 4, the head of the Russian parliament's upper house suggested that the body might take annexation into consideration.

"The outcomes are obvious. Welcome back, Russia "Deputy head of the Russian Security Council and former president Dmitry Medvedev, a supporter of President Vladimir Putin, remarked on Telegram.

In order to construct a legal justification for Russia to annex the four regions, Russian-installed officials moved voting boxes from house to house within the occupied territories, according to Ukraine and the West.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, stated in a video message late on Tuesday that "this farce in the seized areas cannot even be termed an imitation of a referendum."

According to U.S. envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States would present a resolution at the U.N. Security Council requiring Russia to withdraw its forces and urging members not to recognize any change in Ukraine.

She said at a council meeting that if adopted, "Russia's phony referenda will open a pandora's door that we cannot close."

The United States would next bring the matter before the U.N. General Assembly, according to Thomas-Greenfield, even though Russia has the power to veto a resolution in the Security Council.

According to Britain's deputy U.N. ambassador James Kariuki, "Any referenda held under these circumstances, at the barrel of a pistol, can never come anywhere near to free or fair."

Vassily Nebenzia, Russia's ambassador to the UN, told the gathering that the referendums were held openly and in accordance with accepted electoral procedures.

If Kyiv does not acknowledge its tactical and tactical blunders, does not begin to be guided by the interests of its own people, and does not mindlessly follow out the desire of those who are playing them, he warned, "this process is going to continue."

Putin might depict any Ukrainian attempt to retake the four territories as an attack on Russia itself if Russia annexes them.

Putin stated last week that he was prepared to use nuclear weapons to protect Russia's "territorial integrity."

Zelenskiy's advisor Mykhailo Podolyak, though, warned Reuters that Kyiv would not be deterred by nuclear threats or by annexation votes and would continue with its intentions to reclaim all land captured by invading Russian soldiers.

He stated that everyone involved in the referendum's organization will be charged with treason and sentenced to at least five years in prison. Ukrainians who were made to vote under duress wouldn't face punishment.

According to a person familiar with the plan, the new U.S. armaments package will comprise HIMARS launcher systems, accompanying ammunition, various counter-drone systems, and radar systems, as well as spare parts, training, and technical support.

Russia has once more cautioned the US not to arm Ukraine.

"Washington is unaware of the danger in encouraging Kiev to keep employing the military hardware it has received from the West. We'll take forceful, decisive action to preserve the Fatherland "Anatoly Antonov, the American ambassador to Russia, stated on the embassy's Telegram channel.

According to diplomats, Russia is trying to terrify the West into lessening its support for Ukraine by threatening the West with nuclear retaliation.

Since Ukrainian forces defeated Russian forces in a fifth province, Kharkiv, this month, none of the four regions that staged referendums are entirely under Russia's authority.

Zelenskiy claimed that the eastern Donetsk region remained the top strategic priority for both his nation and Russia, with "especially serious" combat enveloping many villages.