The big picture: Russia partially occupies the four Ukrainian oblasts — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — and held staged referendums over the past few days that most western governments labeled a “sham.”
What he’s saying: Putin claimed the results of the referendums had been “unequivocal.”
State of play: Russian forces have been on the defensive as Ukrainian forces conduct counteroffensives in the east and Kherson in the south. As Putin spoke, Ukrainian forces were in the process of encircling Russia’s positions in the city of Lyman in northern Donetsk.
Between the lines: Putin seems to hope, mistakenly, that by putting nuclear weapons on the table he can convince the U.S. to pressure Ukraine to agree to back down, says Carnegie’s Alexander Gabuev.
The proportions of Russians believing the war isn’t going well (31%) and wanting peace talks (48%) also increased in the new poll.
https://www.axios.com/2022/09/30/putin-claims-annexation-four-ukrainian-oblasts