President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia made his provocative 20-minute speech on Wednesday as world leaders are convening in New York for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, where many have denounced Russia’s invasion.
He railed against the West, saying it had “crossed all lines” by providing weapons systems that could enable Ukraine to strike Russian territory, and insisted that the West’s goal was to “weaken, divide and eventually destroy” Russia.
Mr. Putin said his top war aim — “liberating” Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region — remained unchanged and announced his support for referendums hastily announced on Tuesday that would see occupied Ukrainian territory become part of Russia.
“Russia can’t give up on people living close by to be torn apart by executioners and fail to respond to their desire to determine their own fate,” he said, referring to Ukrainians in occupied territory, even as reports continue to emerge of torture at the hand of Russian occupying forces.
But Mr. Putin also made it clear that his war aims are not only about territory or people, but rather a competition for geopolitical power.
“It is in our historical tradition and in the fate of our people to stop those who are striving for world domination, who threaten dismemberment and enslavement in our homeland and our fatherland,” he said at the end of his speech. “We will do it now.”
His remarks came a day after Moscow pressed to consolidate its hold over Ukrainian territory in the east and south, abruptly moving to stage referendums for occupied parts of Ukraine to formally join Russia.
Russian proxy officials in four regions — Donetsk and Luhansk in the east, and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south — announced plans to hold referendums over four days beginning on Friday. Russia controls nearly all of two of the four regions, Luhansk and Kherson, but only a fraction of the other two, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk.
The scheduling of the votes, which appeared to be coordinated, followed swift advances by Ukrainian forces, who routed Russians from the northeast in recent weeks and are on the offensive in the east and south. Analysts say Russia has lost tens of thousands of troops, is struggling to recruit new soldiers and is facing a growing backlash, even from some allies, over its prolonged and bloody invasion.
Russia’s defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, asserted in his speech on Wednesday that 5,937 Russian soldiers had been killed in the fighting in Ukraine, the first information about Russian troop casualties since March. Western estimates put the Russian casualties much higher, in the tens of thousands.
The partial mobilization came a day after Russia’s Parliament, in an expedited procedure, passed legislation imposing criminal penalties on soldiers for desertion, surrender or refusal to follow orders during “mobilization” and “martial law.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who was expected to address the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, said in his nightly address before Mr. Putin’s speech aired that whatever steps the Russian leader announced — and whatever “sham” vote is staged in occupied parts of Ukraine — his military would continue to fight to drive Russian forces from the country.
“We enjoy the full support of our partners in this,” Mr. Zelensky said. “So let’s maintain the pressure. Let’s preserve unity. Let’s defend Ukraine. We are liberating our land. And we are not showing any signs of weakness.”
U.S. officials have warned for months that Mr. Putin could use sham referendums in occupied areas — which many residents have fled amid fierce fighting — to try to legitimize the illegal annexation of parts of Ukraine.
Marc Santora, Anton Troianovski and Dan Bilefsky contributed reporting.
