World Affairs International

Russia annexed territories in occupied Ukraine in a televised event that escalated the war to potentially nuclear heights.

During a rambling speech, Putin spoke of conflict with the West, describing Russia as a stalwart defender of conservative values. He downplayed recent losses in Ukraine, implying that Russia was ready to restart negotiations with Ukraine for peace. After the leaders of the Russian proxies signed, they joined Putin in cheering for Russia.

The annexation of the contested territory by Russia brings the risk of nuclear weapons to an all-time high – Russia’s constitution forbids the abandonment of territory. It authorizes the use of nuclear force to defend against a conventional attack on Russian soil. As Ukrainian forces remain poised to take Lyman, Russia could be willing to use tactical or even strategic nukes to attempt to regain momentum. Ukraine has sounded the alarm regarding nuclear weapons, calling for air defenses and keeping their forces spread out along the long frontline.

However, the occupation of annexed territories served to severely undermine the ambiguous status of Crimea. As claimed Russian territory, which had not been attacked by Ukrainian ground forces, Crimea’s status was unique across occupied Ukraine. Many pro-Russian pundits could use Crimea’s status to claim Crimea could be deferred to Russia for the purposes of peace, despite Ukraine’s ability to take the peninsula.

However, by equating the status of Crimea to currently contested territory, Russia has paved the way for the military liberation of Crimea without fear of Western hesitance in regard to using Western materiel.

As a response to the annexation of occupied territories, Ukraine has begun the process of joining NATO. Their application will likely not be accepted until the war has ended on terms that ensure Ukraine’s territorial integrity, though much of Eastern Europe is expected to support Ukraine’s claim as a sign of solidarity.