What Moscow set in motion on 29 September 2022

What did Moscow do on 29 September 2022 to move its claim on occupied Ukrainian territory forward? In the space of a day, it took a formal step on two regions and announced a date for the next.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognising the "independence" of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts, which had been proclaimed a day earlier, on 28 September. The decree came after so-called referendums staged by Russian-installed officials in occupied parts of Ukraine. Commentators widely described those votes as sham, and various countries denounced them. Later, the validity of the results was accepted only by North Korea.

A signing date from the Kremlin

The same day, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said agreements on the annexation of the occupied territories were scheduled to be signed on 30 September. Two days earlier, on 27 September, Valentina Matviyenko, Speaker of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, had said she expected the annexation to be formalised by 4 October. The Kremlin's timetable was therefore firmer on 29 September than it had been earlier in the week.

Kyiv responds

On 29 September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he would convene an urgent meeting of the National Security and Defense Council on 30 September, the day the Kremlin had named for signing the agreements.

Other pressures on Russia

The annexation push unfolded alongside other developments. On 27 September, Kazakhstan said that around 98,000 Russian civilians had entered the country by land and air since Putin ordered a military mobilisation.

On 29 September, Putin also addressed the Nord Stream gas leaks, calling them an unprecedented act of international terrorism.

Taken together, the day's events show a sequence: a decree on two regions, a named date for signing, and an announced emergency meeting in Kyiv.