Four annexation claims and a pipeline accusation, days apart
A look back at the statements from Moscow in the days leading up to 4 October 2022.
What had Moscow said by 4 October 2022? In the days before that date, Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, made two public statements that drew attention abroad.
On 29 September 2022, Putin described the gas leaks from the Nord Stream pipelines as an unprecedented act of international terrorism. The words were his own characterisation of the incident, which was reported as a sabotage of the pipeline.
On 30 September 2022, in a speech, Putin announced that Russia had annexed four regions occupied during the conflict. The announcement was made by the Russian president himself.
Together, the two statements, made a day apart, framed the days leading up to 4 October 2022: one a charge about the pipeline leaks, the other a declaration of annexation covering four occupied regions.
