The Russian leader claimed he scored a victory in the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia following sham referendums over recent days.

Putin said following the referendums “people have made a choice” and claimed that it is due to the “will of the people” that the annexations have happened.

Since the annexations were formalised, Western officials have slammed the dictator, with Boris Johnson branding him a "fraud and a disgrace."

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, said: “The entire process around these sham referenda was a complete farce. This territory is and will remain Ukraine, and Ukraine has every right to defend its land, to defend its people and to take back the territory that Russia has seized from it.