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Kremlin readies annexation papers as Kyiv convenes
Summary
A look back at 29 September 2022, when Moscow moved to formalise its claim on occupied Ukrainian territory and Kyiv announced an urgent security meeting.
What did Moscow set in motion on 29 September 2022, and how did Kyiv respond? The day brought a sequence of formal steps that signalled the annexation of occupied Ukrainian territory was close.
The Kremlin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said that agreements on annexing the occupied territories were scheduled to be signed on 30 September. The same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognising the "independence" of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts, which had been proclaimed the day before.
A timetable already visible
The timetable had been hinted at earlier. On 27 September 2022, Valentina Matviyenko, Speaker of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, said she expected the annexation to be formalised by 4 October. Peskov's announcement on 29 September pointed to a date several days sooner.
The sequence is worth noting. Recognising the two oblasts as independent came first, with the signing of annexation agreements set for the following day. The steps followed in quick succession.
Kyiv's response
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he would convene an urgent meeting of the National Security and Defense Council on 30 September. The announcement placed the Ukrainian leadership's response on the calendar alongside the Russian signing.
The votes underpinning the process were staged by Russian-installed officials in occupied areas. They were widely described as sham referendums by commentators and denounced by various countries. Later, the validity of the results was accepted only by North Korea.
Other pressures on the same day
The annexation push unfolded alongside other developments. Two days earlier, on 27 September 2022, Kazakhstan said that around 98,000 Russian civilians had entered the country by land and air since Putin ordered a military mobilisation. The figure showed the scale of movement out of Russia following that order.
On 29 September 2022, Putin also described the Nord Stream gas leaks as an unprecedented act of international terrorism. The remark was one more public statement from the Russian president in a day dominated by the annexation process.
What the day established
By the end of 29 September 2022, the main elements were in place: a decree on Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, a named date for signing agreements, and a scheduled Ukrainian security meeting. The Kremlin had publicly set the next step for 30 September, and Kyiv had set its own response for the same date.
