Vladimir Putin illegally annexes four Ukrainian oblasts

in real time”, “hearts beating in the ringing silence”, “Russia’s historic lands coming home”. Thus did Russia’s state television advertise Vladimir Putin’s grandiose speech in the Kremlin on September 30th, at the end of which he signed documents annexing four Ukrainian provinces, only one of which Russia occupies close to fully. In the West, it was instantly denounced as an illegal act that no one will recognise. Further sanctions were announced by America, and a vote of condemnation drafted at the UN.Mr Putin, 18 minutes late to “the most important moment in Russian history”, walked through the gilded doors of St George’s Hall, where “every statue marks a victory” and where in 2014 he announced the annexation of Crimea, to a standing ovation. He tried to look triumphant as he declared the enlargement of Russia. But the faces of the elite gathered before him seemed to convey apprehension rather than joy.