Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed treaties to annex four occupied regions of Ukraine.
Mr Putin declared Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia would be folded into Russia in a major speech with the annexed regions' pro-Moscow administrators present.
He declared that the "people have made their choice" in referendums, which Russia-installed election officials say returned overwhelming support for annexation.
Ukraine and the West have denounced the referendums as illegitimate and the annexations as illegal, but Mr Putin appears not bothered by the dismissals.
Here's a quick look at what happens from here in the short term.
How have Ukraine and the UN responded?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday that Ukraine would formally apply for a fast-tracked membership to join the NATO military alliance.
Also on Friday, Russia vetoed a UN resolution that would have condemned its referendums as illegal.
The resolution would also have demanded an immediate halt to Russia's "full-scale unlawful invasion of Ukraine" and the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all its military forces from Ukraine.
China, India, Brazil and Gabon abstained from the vote.
UN secretary-general António Guterres declared on Friday that the annexation of the four regions has "no legal value and deserves to be condemned".
Britain's ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward echoed Mr Guterres's statements, saying there's "no middle ground on this".
"The area Russia is claiming to annex is more than 90,000 square kilometres," she said.
"This is the largest forcible annexation of territory since the Second World War."
What does this mean for the war?
In his speech announcing the annexations, Mr Putin said Russia would "defend our land with all means" and "work to increase security in [the] new regions".
Even though the annexation announcement wasn't unexpected, it has escalated an already heated conflict that's become fraught with potential nuclear implications.
The Ukrainian government says it will continue to fight to reclaim occupied territory.
NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday that the alliance is "united and determined to defend and protect every NATO ally and every inch of allied territory".
"Putin has mobilised hundreds of thousands more troops, engaged in irresponsible nuclear sabre-rattling and now illegally annexed more Ukrainian territory," Mr Stoltenberg said.
"Together, this represents the most serious escalation since the start of the war."
Will Putin be punished?
The US has already imposed further sanctions on Russian individuals and companies.
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is among those indicating he plans to do the same.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the annexed territories "will always be a part of Ukraine".
"The United States does not and will never recognise any of the Kremlin's claims to sovereignty over parts of Ukraine that it seized by force," he said.
US President Joe Biden told a media conference on Friday that America and its allies will "not be intimidated" by threats from the Russian leader.
He also announced US$13 billion ($20.1bn) in additional resources for Ukraine.
"Putin's actions are a sign he's struggling," Mr Biden said.
"He can't seize his neighbour's territory and get away with it, simple as that."
What's next for Ukrainians?
For Ukraine, the future of those living in the four annexed regions isn't immediately clear.
But Ukraine's Ambassador to Australia insists it "doesn't change anything" for the country.
Speaking to ABC News Weekend Breakfast, Vasyl Myroshnychenko said Russia's annexation is all "propaganda" and "fake".
"Their so-called referendums were done at gunpoint, and we've seen how it was organised, so there is no validity in any of that," he said.
"What Russia is doing, nobody is recognising."
Mr Myroshnychenko called on Australia to continue supporting Ukraine by sending more weapons to bolster its defence.
"The motivation of the Ukrainian soldiers and the will of the Ukrainian people is to restore Ukraine's sovereignty," he said.
"We have to free the people who are now under the Russian occupation and are suffering a great deal."
ABC/wires
