- Paul Kirby
- BBC news
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Last updated 4 hours ago
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photo released, AFP
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Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold an official ceremony on Friday when he announces the annexation of four other regions of Ukraine.
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This comes after “referendums” were held in those regions, amid criticism from Ukraine and the West.
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Russian-backed officials said the five-day vote saw near unanimity in joining Russia.
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Russia claims to have voted in Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine and in Zaporizhia and Kherson in southern Ukraine.
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The Russian president will give an official speech in the Kremlin.
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photo released, Reuters
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Preparations have already taken place on Red Square in Moscow and banners have been erected attributing the four regions to Russia
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Preparations have already taken place on Red Square in Moscow and banners have been erected attributing the four regions to Russia.
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This scene dates back to 2014, and to the Crimean annexation activities, following the referendum process whose legitimacy is contested. None of these surveys received independent monitoring.
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Nor has the Crimean annexation process been widely recognized by the international community.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Tomorrow at 12:00 GMT, St. George’s Square of the Kremlin Palace will witness a signing ceremony for the annexation of the new regions to Russia.”
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Two Russian-backed separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine are expected to attend the ceremony.
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The Russian parliament will play a role in ratifying the annexation of the four new regions to Russia, which was rejected by most countries in the world.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the referendums null and void and did not change reality.
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“Ukrainian territorial integrity will be restored. Our reaction to the recognition of the referendum results by Russia will be very acute,” Zelensky said.
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The United States has pledged to impose sanctions on Russia for referendums, and EU member states are considering an eighth round of measures.
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On Thursday, German Foreign Minister Annalina Birbock said people in occupied Ukrainian regions have been forcibly removed from their homes and workplaces and sometimes at gunpoint.
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“This is the antithesis of free and fair elections. This is the antithesis of peace, it is peace dictated by force,” Beerbock said.
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Referendums started last Friday in around 15% of Ukraine and had not been announced earlier until a few days ago.
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Official Russian media claim that the use of armed soldiers was for security purposes. But the impact of that armed presence was evident in the fear of civilians in those areas. A woman from the town of Enerhodar in Zaporizhia told the BBC: “You have to answer verbally, and then the soldier will mark for you on the referendum sheet.”
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In Donetsk, armed soldiers escorted election officials from house to house to vote
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Russia does not fully control any of the four regions it has decided to annex. Moscow controls only 60 percent of Donetsk, but most of the Luhansk territory is still under the control of Russian forces.
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Seven months after Russian forces invaded Ukraine from the north, east and south, war still rages on the front lines in all four regions.
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The capital of the Zaporizhia region in southern Ukraine is under the control of the Ukrainian government and a counterattack is now underway in the Kherson region.
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For several months, officials appointed by Russia have been calling for an official annexation process, but it appears that Ukraine’s string of military victories last September forced the Kremlin to take the step.
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The Ukrainian army managed to regain control of much of the north-east of the country. Ukraine said Thursday that its forces were encircling Russian forces in the strategic city of Lyman, located in Donetsk.
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On Wednesday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called the referendums “null and void”. He said in a statement that he will continue his pressure and efforts to liberate the territories occupied by Russian forces.
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And if Russia annexes the four regions it does not fully control, it could take the war to a new level, as Moscow describes any attempt by Ukraine to claim them as an attack on Russian sovereignty.
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Russia is expected to quickly introduce new laws on annexing these four disputed regions and has threatened to use more lethal weapons if they are targeted in the future.
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Last week Vladimir Putin announced a military mobilization, threatening to use all means at his disposal, including nuclear weapons, to defend what he considers Russian territory.
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By annexing occupied areas of Ukraine, Putin can argue that Russian territory is threatened by Western weapons, hoping governments will stop their military support for Kiev.
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The Ukrainian foreign minister said the referendums would have no effect on the ground.
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