Russian President Vladimir Putin declared martial law in four regions in Ukraine which were annexed last month, on Wednesday, October 19. The four regions in question are Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk, which the Russian President said will be put under martial law.

“Now we need to formalize this regime within the framework of Russian legislation. Therefore, I signed a decree on the introduction of martial law in these four subjects of the Russian Federation,” Putin said in a televised address.

Also Read: Ukrainian woman, 6-months pregnant, husband killed in Russian airstrike

In September, referendums were held in the aforementioned regions to decide whether to join Russia or not. The referendums were met with widespread opposition in Ukraine and the rest of the world and were termed illegitimate by Ukrainian citizens and several NATO member countries. Some reports suggested that Ukrainians were intimidated or forced into voting in these referendums and the result was predetermined.

The Russian President also put pen to paper on an order that will introduce wartime measures in several regions which are bordering Ukraine. These regions — Crimea, Kursk, Belgorod, Rostov and others, have been used as crucial staging areas for the Russian military in its war against Ukraine and have been targeted in recent weeks.

The order will be allowing economic mobilisation in these areas and will lay the groundwork for organising locals to back the Russian military. However, as per several reports, the majority of the order remains vague, giving the state huge legal space to change its stance later.

Also Read: Florida Senate debate: Val Demings accuse Marco Rubio of not doing enough to prevent shootings

Recent weeks have witnessed an intense battle in Ukraine, as the Russian military has started using “kamikaze” drones and missiles across the country. The usage of these armaments has killed hundreds of Ukrainian citizens, including 6-months pregnant Viktoria Zamchenko and her husband, who was killed on October 18.

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed that Russia’s latest strategy has crippled 30% of Ukraine’s total power plants offline, leaving much of the country under the cover of darkness.