Moscow held what it referred to as referendums in the four autonomous regions it governs, and this week, Kremlin-installed officials claimed that inhabitants there supported a merger with Russia.
According to the spokesperson for President Vladimir Putin, four regions of Ukraine that are currently under Russian control will be formally annexed by Moscow on Friday.
A signing ceremony to incorporate the additional regions into Russia will take place tomorrow at 15:00 (1200 GMT) in the Georgian Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, according to spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
The Russian president will deliver a significant address on the occasion, he noted.
Formally Annexing
The official annexation was widely anticipated following the voting that ended on Tuesday in the Ukrainian regions under Russian administration, as well as after Moscow said inhabitants there had overwhelmingly approved the annexation.
The votes have been harshly denounced by the United States and its Western allies as a “sham “and pledged never to acknowledge the outcomes.
The criticism has had little impact on the Kremlin. After Ukraine’s counteroffensive inflicted Moscow’s forces significant tactical blows earlier this month, Russia announced it would mobilise 300,000 reserve soldiers to take part in the conflict. It also stated that it might use nuclear weapons.
According to Ukrainian authorities, at least eight civilians, including a toddler, were killed and numerous others were injured as a result of Russian fire. After a Dnipro attack, a 12-year-old girl was rescued from the debris.
The local administrator Valentyn Reznichenko claimed, “The rescuers have pulled her from under the wreckage; she was asleep when the Russian missile hit.”
New reports of shelling came as Russia appeared to be losing ground around the important northeastern city of Lyman while attempting to push forward with a disorganised mobilisation of troops and stop the men of fighting age from leaving the nation, according to a Washington-based think tank and the British intelligence reports.
Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine are now under the control of the Russian army after Vladimir Putin issued an order to send soldiers across the border in February.
Moscow conducted so-called referendums in the four regions it governs, and this week, Kremlin-installed officials stated that the people there backed federating with Russia.
Significant
Those attempting to flee Russia are disproportionately well-off and educated, “added the British. “When combined with those reservists who are being called up, it is projected that the domestic economic repercussions of reduced labour availability and the hastened ‘brain drain’ will become more serious.
However, this partial mobilisation is extremely unpopular in some regions, leading to demonstrations, isolated acts of violence, and the mass exodus of Russians. Mile-long lines developed at other borders, and according to reports, Moscow set up temporary offices there to prevent some people from attempting to flee.
All four of the Moscow-supported regional chiefs said they were in Moscow and eager to meet President Putin.
Eight years after Moscow took control of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine, the move would significantly escalate the conflict.
The G7 declared that it will “never accept” Russia’s annexations, and the West has warned it not to go any farther.
In response, Kyiv has requested additional military assistance.
