MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin on Wednesday imposed martial law in the four territories that Russia annexed from Ukraine last month. Russia's president made the order for Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia.

It came during a meeting of the Russian Security Council on Wednesday. In a set of televised remarks, Putin instructed the government to set up a special coordinating council under Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to work with Russia's regions to boost Moscow's war effort in Ukraine.

The Kremlin then issued a decree announcing the entry into force of martial law in these territories from Thursday midnight.

It came on the same day that Russian-installed officials in Kherson, one of the four occupied regions, said they were "evacuating" tens of thousands of civilians amid Ukraine advances nearby.

Putin said the measures he was ordering would increase the stability of the economy, industry and production in support of what Russia calls its special military operation.

"We are working on solving very complex, large-scale tasks to ensure a reliable future for Russia, the future of our people," he said.

The moves, nearly eight months into the war, represented the latest escalation by Putin to counter a series of major defeats at the hands of Ukrainian forces since the start of September. — Euronews