Putin Marks Anniversary of Annexation of Ukrainian Regions

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a video celebrating the anniversary of the incorporation of regions of Ukraine to join Russia in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a video celebrating the anniversary of the incorporation of regions of Ukraine to join Russia in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
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Putin Marks Anniversary of Annexation of Ukrainian Regions

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a video celebrating the anniversary of the incorporation of regions of Ukraine to join Russia in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a video celebrating the anniversary of the incorporation of regions of Ukraine to join Russia in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday insisted that the residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow annexed a year ago “made their choice — to be with their Fatherland.”

In an address released in the early hours to mark the first anniversary of the annexation, Putin insisted that it was carried out “in full accordance with international norms.”

He also claimed that residents of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions had again expressed their desire to be part of Russia in local elections earlier this month. Russia’s Central Election Commission said the country’s ruling party won the most votes.

"Just as a year ago in the historic referendums, people again expressed and confirmed their will to be with Russia and supported their countrymen who, through their labor and real actions, proved worthy of the people's trust," he said in a video of just over four minutes issued at midnight.

Putin reiterated his stance that Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine saved people from nationalist leaders in Kyiv who had unleashed a "full-scale civil war" and "terror against those who think differently.”

The West has denounced both the referendum votes carried out last year and the recent ballots as a sham. The votes were held as Russian authorities attempted to tighten their grip on territories Moscow illegally annexed a year ago and still does not fully control.

A concert was held in Red Square on Friday to mark the anniversary, but Putin did not participate.

The address came after Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday it would enlist 130,000 men for compulsory military service this fall, beginning Oct. 1, in most regions of the country. It announced it would for the first time begin enlisting residents of the annexed territories as part of its twice-yearly military conscription campaign.

Russia says conscripts are not deployed to what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine, or to serve in the annexed territories. However, after their service, conscripts automatically become reservists, and Russia has previously deployed reservists to Ukraine.

In Ukraine, EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell referenced the anniversary of the regions being “illegally annexed” by Russia in a video recorded during an unannounced visit to the Black Sea port city of Odesa on Saturday. Speaking from the city’s Transfiguration Cathedral, severely damaged in a Russian missile strike in July, Borrell reiterated the EU’s support for Ukraine.

“Odesa is a beautiful historic city. It should be in the headlines for its vibrant culture and spirit. Instead, it marks the news as frequent target of Putin’s war,” the EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy chief wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Meanwhile, the governor of Ukraine’s partly occupied southern Zaporizhzhia region, Yurii Malashko, said five people were wounded on Saturday in two missile strikes on the village of Matviivka, located on the northeastern outskirts of the regional capital, also called Zaporizhzhia.

Air defenses shot down 30 out of 40 Iranian-made kamikaze drones aimed at the Odesa, Mykolaiv and Vinnytsia provinces overnight, the Ukrainian air force said Saturday.

Vinnytsia regional Gov. Serhii Borzov said that air defenses shot down 20 drones over his central Ukrainian region, but that a “powerful fire” broke out in the town of Kalynivka when a drone struck an unspecified infrastructure facility.



Trump Nominee Pete Hegseth Weathers Democrats’ Grilling to Emerge Largely Unscathed

US Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
US Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
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Trump Nominee Pete Hegseth Weathers Democrats’ Grilling to Emerge Largely Unscathed

US Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
US Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC, USA, 14 January 2025. (EPA)

President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, endured fierce Democratic grilling over everything from his inexperience and his past opposition to women in combat to emerge largely unscathed among Republicans at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

Hegseth, a former Fox News host and decorated veteran, is one of the most controversial figures ever nominated to be Secretary of Defense and any vote to confirm him is expected to be very close.

But he weathered the four-hour hearing without making any major gaffe that might have alienated Republicans and even won critical backing from Republican Senator Joni Ernst, who holds sway in her party.

Several other committee Republicans, to laughter from a friendly audience packed with supporters wearing Hegseth hats, praised the 44-year-old, who has slammed diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military, and, in his latest book, questioned whether the top US general has the job because he's Black.

Asked if he would fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C.Q. Brown, if he takes over the military, a possibility first reported by Reuters, Hegseth declined to rule it out, saying he would be carrying out a broad review.

"Every single senior officer will be reviewed based on meritocracy, standards, lethality and commitment to lawful orders they will be given," Hegseth said.

Hegseth had strongly opposed women in combat roles but walked back that stance during the hearing.

"Mr. Hegseth, I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job," said Senator Jack Reed, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

A number of episodes have sparked concern, including a 2017 sexual assault allegation against Hegseth that did not result in charges and which he denies. He has also been accused of excessive drinking and financial mismanagement at veterans' organizations. Hegseth has vowed to abstain from alcohol if confirmed and said he made financial errors but denied wrongdoing.

Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand slammed Hegseth's past remarks about women, saying he would have to fundamentally change how he sees women who constitute 18% of the US military.

"We have hundreds - HUNDREDS - of women who serve in the infantry, lethal members of our military ... But you degrade them," Gillibrand said in a heated exchange.

"Please explain these types of statements because they're brutal, and they're mean."

Despite strong support from Trump's Republicans, Hegseth's confirmation will likely be by a narrow margin, compared with the 93-2 vote for President Joe Biden's defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, and 98-1 for Jim Mattis, Trump's first nominee for the position.

After the hearing, Ernst, who pundits speculated could vote against Hegseth and perhaps convince others to do the same, said she supported Hegseth.

"Our next commander in chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense," Ernst said in a statement.

As Hegseth walked into the packed hearing room, he was greeted with cheers and a standing ovation, with chants of "USA, USA, USA" and a shout of "Get 'em, Petey."

Senator Roger Wicker, the Republican who leads the committee, endorsed Hegseth, calling him "unconventional," and adding, "Regarding his personal conduct, Mr. Hegseth has admitted to falling short, as we all do from time to time."

Republican senators, including Markwayne Mullin and Tim Sheehy, strongly backed Hegseth. Mullin dismissed concerns about him, particularly his personal life, as political theater.

"It's all for show," Mullin said.

ACCOUNTABILITY IS COMING

Hegseth's opening remarks, praising Trump, were repeatedly interrupted by protesters. He vowed to restore a "warrior culture" to the US military and said accountability was coming for those who fall short.

"Everyone from the top, from the most senior general to the most lowly private, (we) will ensure that they're treated fairly," Hegseth said.

When asked about remarks opposing women in combat, Hegseth cited the need to eliminate quotas for frontline roles. Gillibrand fired back that no such quotas exist.

During the hearing he told Ernst, herself a veteran, that he would support women in combat "given the standards remain high, and we will have a review to ensure the standards have not been eroded."

Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, a veteran who lost both legs during combat in Iraq, chided Hegseth over gaps in his knowledge of foreign policy and lack of management experience.

"You say you care about keeping our armed forces strong ... then let's not lower the standards for you. You sir, are a no-go at this station," Duckworth said.

In a 2021 incident first reported by Reuters, Hegseth was branded an "insider threat" by a fellow member of the Army National Guard over his tattoos. Hegseth noted the incident during the hearing, which led him to be pulled from Guard duty in Washington during Biden's inauguration.

In recent weeks, Trump's party has coalesced around his pick.

Still, the slim Republican Senate majority means that Hegseth can lose support from no more than three senators to be confirmed, if Democrats and independents unite against him.

Cabinet nominees almost never lose Senate votes. The last nominee who was defeated was former Senator John Tower, a nominee to be Secretary of Defense, in 1989. Tower was investigated over claims of drunkenness and inappropriate behavior with women.

If confirmed, Hegseth could make good on Trump's promises to rid the military of generals he accuses of pursuing progressive diversity policies.

The next secretary of defense faces huge challenges, including active conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza and the expansion of China's military, which received only glancing attention during a hearing focused far more on culture war issues.

The committee is expected to vote on Hegseth's nomination as soon as Monday, the day of Trump's inauguration, paving the way for his consideration by the full Senate.