Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared martial law in four regions of Ukraine recently annexed by Russia in violation of international law. The order will include new limits on public gatherings, grant more power to police, and will curtail the right of people to travel and to communicate freely. In the occupied city of Kherson, Russian-installed leaders say they’ve begun evacuating 60,000 people as Ukraine’s military presses a counteroffensive aimed at retaking the city.

In Brussels, European Union leaders have announced new sanctions on Iran, after Russia launched a series of attacks on Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure using Iranian-made drones.

Meanwhile, Britain’s top military official has shrugged off Putin’s threats to use tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield, including in defense of recently annexed parts of Ukraine. Admiral Tony Radakin spoke Wednesday from London.

Adm. Tony Radakin: “He has few options left, hence the nuclear rhetoric. And while this is worrying and deeply irresponsible, it is a sign of weakness, which is precisely why the international community needs to remain strong and united.”