Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday declared the annexation of four occupied Ukrainian regions amid his country's seven-month-old war, heightening tensions with the West as the move immediately prompted a fresh wave of criticism and sanctions.Moscow's unilateral action to absorb some 15 percent of Ukraine's territory came after it said local populations voted to join Russia in recent referendums, with Kyiv and the West condemning the polls as illegitimate."People living in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson region and Zaporizhzhia region are becoming our compatriots forever," Putin said, acco…READ FULL ARTICLE