Putin Annexed Parts of Ukraine — Meaningless but Impactful

The illegal sham referenda that took place in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia last week have received a lot of attention.

With them, Putin and his collaborators have violated international law, to the extent that few — including Iran — refuse to recognize them.

We have no reason to trust the vote or the “positive” Russian sentiment in the steppe of Ukraine.

But what has the annexation meant for Putin? Has he greatly misjudged the ease of the annexation and willingness…