G7 may punish countries that back Moscow's claims on Ukrainian regions, Washington warns; EU vows to 'never recognize' move; Italian far-right leader slams 'neo-imperialist' Putin

Russian leader signs treaties after referendum derided in West as sham, says residents of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia are its 'citizens forever'

Putin to lead ceremony in Kremlin that will formally incorporate Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia areas into Russian territory, spokesperson says

Moscow-installed officials in occupied areas say they'll ask Putin to absorb them into Russia following votes that Israel and other Western countries have rejected

Separatist Donetsk leade calls referendum widely denounced as pretense 'a historical milestone'; vote clears way for Moscow to claim Ukrainian forces are attacking Russia itself

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev says ballot results in four regions controlled by Moscow would make new borders 'irreversible,' in move that could escalate fighting

DC-based think tank, citing claim by Moscow, says Kyiv deploying T-72s as it tries to push gains into Russian-occupied region of Luhansk

Russian state media says Vladimir Kozlovsky 'collaborated' with captors, was handed over to Russian Jewish community, and will later catch a flight to join wife in Israel

Foreign Minister Lavrov says forces will now deal with targets beyond country's east because of new threat posed by arms given to Ukrainians

Kyiv already severed relations with Damascus after Syria recognized breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine