President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that will officially recognize the two Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhya and Kherson as independent states after mock referendums. President Putin has always maintained that the so-called disputed areas of eastern Ukraine, such as Luhansk and Donetsk, belong to Russia or are independent states.
The signing of the decree is the final stage of the highly controversial annexation process that was undemocratic and involved counting blank votes without being read to gain support for Russia’s plan.
The Russian president will hold an official signing ceremony on Friday to annex more territories and is expected to deliver a major speech in the Kremlin, despite Russia not fully controlling any of the four regions, it has been reported.
That day, a festive concert will be held in the evening on Moscow’s Red Square with a pre-built stage and billboards stating that the four regions are part of Russia.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Tomorrow at 3 p.m. (12:00 BST) a signing ceremony will be held at the St George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace on the incorporation of the new territories in Russia.”
According to the BBC, separate agreements will be signed with both the Russian-backed separatist leaders from the east and the two Russian-appointed officials from the south.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has labeled the referenda in the regions as “pseudo-referendums” and added that their conclusions do not change reality.
The president warned Russia that continued annexation of his country would lead to “harsh” retaliation from Ukraine.
He said: “Ukraine’s territorial integrity will be restored and our response to Russia’s recognition of the results will be very harsh.”
Reports from the vote show that election officials went door-to-door along with armed soldiers and there was no independent oversight of the process taking place.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York on Thursday that the further annexation process would be a “dangerous escalation” in the conflict in Ukraine.
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“And this is the opposite of peace, it is a dictated peace.”
The minister’s comments came after it became known that people in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine had been removed from their homes and work under threat and sometimes at gunpoint.
A woman from Enerhodar spoke to the BBC about her voting experience, saying: “You have to answer verbally, and the soldier marks the answer on the sheet and keeps it.”
Russia’s official recognition of the four regions as part of its territory has further fueled concerns that Putin will claim Western weapons are attacking Russian areas, which could deter some countries from continuing to send military aid to Ukraine.
Last week, the Russian president threatened to use every weapon at his disposal, including nuclear weapons, to defend his nation.