Russia expected to annex Ukraine territory within days

As Russia moves closer to annexing parts of Ukraine, Ukrainians are fleeing those Russian-occupied territories, dismissing the results of a five-day vote that showed strong support for joining Russia. So-called referendums - that Kyiv and the West have widely discredited as illegal shams. Ukrainians here, at a reception center for evacuees, said people were forced to tick ballots in the street by roving officials at gunpoint. “No one was interested in your opinion. You simply have to tick the box (in the ballot)." But here in Moscow, preparations for the impending annexation moved swiftly. This stage has been set up in the Red Square with giant video screens, and billboards reading "Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!" Those four provinces that stand to be annexed make up about 15% of Ukrainian territory altogether. On Wednesday the Russia-installed administrations of those four provinces formally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to incorporate them into Russia. Putin could proclaim the annexation in a speech within days, and has warned he would use nuclear weapons to protect any Russian territory from attack. And in a series of calls to rally international support against annexation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy spoke to the leaders of countries, including Britain, Canada, Germany and Turkey, to press for more military aid and tougher sanctions on Moscow. The Sun newspaper brings you the latest breaking news videos and explainers from the UK and around the world Become a Sun Subscriber and hit the bell to be the first to know Read The Sun: http://www.thesun.co.uk Like The Sun on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesun/ Follow The Sun on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSun Subscribe to The Sun on Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/discover/The_Sun/1633225139 #Russia #Ukraine #annexation #ukrainenews