Russian President Vladimir Putin said martial law will be introduced across four regions of eastern and southern Ukraine, which Moscow illegally annexed after staged referendums last month despite not fully controlling these areas either politically or militarily. The move signals an intensifying effort to achieve his military objectives amid continuing airstrikes on infrastructure targets.
Military officials will take direct responsibility for civilian government functions in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, Putin said at a meeting of his security council. Putin did not elaborate on what exactly the introduction of martial law would change on the battlefield, as Russian forces are losing ground in the illegally annexed territories, including the southern Kherson region.
Read More: Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Putin declares martial law in annexed regions
