Putin Preps Annexation Rally

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation yesterday formally annexing four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine, with a major speech in Moscow's Red Square planned for tomorrow. In principle, the move folds roughly 15% of Ukraine into Russia, though Western leaders have called the order illegitimate, and none of the regions are fully under Russian control.

The signing comes as Ukraine continues to reclaim land in the Luhansk and Kherson regions, two of the four areas included in the order. As of this writing, Ukrainian forces were less than 25 miles from the city of Kherson, advancing toward the western bank of the Dnieper River, which has been occupied by Russia since March. See an updated map of who controls which areas here.

Separately, Putin directed Russian forces to take control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest nuclear energy facility in Europe. The plant is located along the front lines of the fighting in southeastern Ukraine.