Russian annexation of Ukraine territory expected within days

A woman says goodbye to a reservist drafted during partial mobilisation, before his departure for a military base, in the city of Bataysk, in the Rostov region, Russia September 26, 2022. REUTERS/Sergey Pivovarov

ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (Reuters) -Moscow was poised on Wednesday to annex a swath of Ukraine, releasing what it called vote tallies showing support in four partially occupied provinces to join Russia, after what Kyiv and the West denounced as illegal sham referendums held at gunpoint.

On Moscow's Red Square, a tribune with giant video screens has been set up, with billboards proclaiming "Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!"