Putin completes annexation of Ukraine regions amid loss of territorial control

Ukrainian troops have in recent weeks made important advances in Kherson and regained almost all of Kharkiv’s territory.

Anatolii Stepanov / AFP

Putin signed law making Ukrainian regions part of Russia

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, ended, this Wednesday, 5, the annexation of regions in Ukraine by signing the law and decrees that formally appoint the rulers that Moscow had already established in the territories. The texts signed by Putin stipulate that “the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia are accepted within the Russian Federation, in accordance with the country’s Constitution”. The four regions are partially occupied by Russian troops and correspond to almost 20% of Ukrainian territory. The four territories create a crucial land corridor between Russia and the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014. The signing of this document comes at a time when Putin’s troops are being defeated by the Volodymyr Zelensky, which claims the territories. On Wednesday, military advances were recorded in the Luhansk region. “Now it’s official. The eviction of the Luhansk region has begun. Several cities have already been liberated from the Russian army and the Ukrainian Armed Forces are raising the flag of Ukraine“, said the Ukrainian governor of the region, Serguei Gaidai, on Telegram. Zelensky’s army has made important advances in the northern Kherson region in recent weeks and has recaptured almost the entire Kharkiv region. Ukraine’s leader said on Tuesday that just this week the country’s troops had liberated “dozens of localities” in the four regions Putin annexed.

Faced with the Ukrainian conquests, the Russia promised to recover the territories reconquered by Kiev and insisted that these areas will be Russian “forever”. These “territories will be reclaimed and we will continue to consult with the (local) population about their desire to live in Russia,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The spokesman was asked about the exact borders of the annexed regions, where Russian forces abandoned some locations after Ukrainian counteroffensives. “These territories will forever be Russia’s, they will be recovered,” Peskov insisted. The incorporation of Ukrainian territories will require a reform of article 65 of the Constitution of Russia, with the increase from 85 to 89 of the federal entities of the country. In the four new regions, the official language will be Russian, although the use of Ukrainian will be allowed; and the currency used will be the ruble. All four territories annexed by the Russian Federation will have their names kept. The transition period for the full incorporation of Russian territories will be extended until January 1, 2026.

annexation

*With AFP and EFE information

Source: Jovempan

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