Putin Announces Russian Annexation Of Ukrainian Regions

Annexation is a formal act whereby a state proclaims its sovereignty over territory hitherto outside its domain. Unlike cession, whereby territory is given or sold through treaty, annexation is a unilateral act made effective by actual possession and legitimized by general recognition. Today Putin is signing documents to annex four areas of Ukraine.

Basically, Putin lives next door to you, and he likes your house. Now your house is Putin’s house. You can still live in it, but if your mother in law comes over with her little purse dog digging in the backyard, he may send her home and burn down her entire neighborhood, because Putin protects what’s his.

We all knew Putin would be gunning for Donetsk and Luhansk at the start of the invasion, but I was surprised he also included Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in his annexation. It’s tactically proficient, this area is comprised of heavy industry, rich farmland and a freshwater conduit for Crimea, but only parts of Zaporizhzhia are controlled by Russian forces.

It seems pretty clear that the attempt at annexation is an escalation that serves many purposes, one of which is to transform the conflict from an unprovoked act of war into the image of a leader protecting his own territories. This could be designed to stave off some dissent among Russian citizens, but it also give Putin a new angle from which to go after the Western nations who’ve been supporting Ukraine and sanctioning Russia. As always Putin is over here two birds one stoning it, and our elected officials are looking for dead people. Please catch up Joe!

True to form, coupled with the announcement of annexation that was put out last week was the message that “any attack on what is considered Russian territory invites the full range of retaliation…The territorial integrity of our homeland, our independence and freedom will be ensured, I will emphasize this again, with all the means at our disposal. And those who try to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the prevailing winds can turn in their direction.”

Now I don’t know if Putin is crazy enough to use nuclear weapons, but if anyone was ever crazy enough, it would be him. Though I know he doesn’t expect anyone in politics right now to actively oppose him, I’m also pretty sure he thinks he’s invincible. It’s like trying to predict the actions of a rabid chimp; will it bite your face off, or will it simply fling some poo and run into the woods to terrorize someone else? Stay tuned.

Ukraine has rejected the annexation and will continue to liberate its territories. So if you’re distracted by Hurricane Ian (and understandably so!) when you start seeing the World War 3 memes make an appearance again, you’ll know what’s happening. What a crazy time to be alive. The period of 2020-2025 is going to need its own separate history class.