The annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya in Ukraine will take place during a ceremony in Moscow, Friday at 2 p.m. Norwegian time. Pro-Russian occupation leaders must sign agreements that they will be incorporated into Russia. The forced incorporation takes place after Russia has taken the Ukrainian territories by force. President Vladimir Putin will be present during the ceremony, according to Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The red square is being prepared for the ceremony on Friday. Photo: ALEXANDER NEMENOV / AFP A stage has already been set up in Moscow’s Red Square for the ceremony on Friday. Around the square hang large posters proclaiming the four regions as part of Russia. Condemns Referendums Parts of Luhansk and Donetsk have been led by Russian-backed separatists since 2014. Russia has recognized these as independent people’s republics. Large parts of the world do not agree with this. Large parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions have been under Russian control since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Russia does not have full control over any of the four regions. Last week, so-called “referendums” on incorporation into Russia were held in Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, and in Zaporizhzhya and Kherson in the south. The polls are not considered by international observers to have been either free or fair. They are also considered a violation of international law. No serious observers were present. Norway and a large number of Western countries have condemned the referendums, and do not recognize the result, which was an overwhelming yes to incorporation. A woman votes during the so-called “referendum” in Donetsk. Photo: AP Both the EU and the US are introducing more sanctions against Russia because of the elections. On September 21, Putin announced that 300,000 reserve soldiers would be mobilized for the war against Ukraine. When the regions are now annexed by Russia, the country will be able to claim that these soldiers are fighting on Russian territory, and not in Ukraine. Thus, the Russian authorities can claim that the West is supplying Ukraine with weapons that can be used inside Russia. Not the first time It is not the first time that Russia has annexed regions of Ukraine. In 2014, Russia seized the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in the Black Sea, after pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted. After this, a “referendum” was also organized, which ended with a large majority in favor of incorporating the peninsula into Russia. Large parts of the world did not approve of this, and still consider Crimea to be part of Ukraine.
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Russia forcibly annexes occupied areas in Ukraine – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
