Ukraine news latest: Putin ‘has annexed more than 15% of Ukraine’, claims Kremlin – but Zelensky’s forces on the march

RUSSIA claims it has formally completed the annexation of 15% of Ukrainian territory as Vladimir Putin completed legal paperwork today – but Ukrainian forces are continuing to make successful incursions to reclaim land that previously belonged to them. The regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia have now been formally absorbed into Putin’s regime, according to the Kremlin, as Putin looks to legitimise his war in Ukraine. Western governments and Kyiv said the moves breached international law and were coercive and non-representative. Despite the brutal invasion, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops continue to fight back. Zelensky announced that his army has liberated “dozens” of Ukrainian settlements, as it continues its counter-offensive. Read our Ukraine-Russia live blog below for the latest updates…