Putin approved the annexation of the four Ukrainian regions to Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin today completed the process of formally annexing to Russia territories exceeding 15% of Ukraine’s total territory as Russian forces face a counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces in large swathes of Ukrainian territory.

In the largest expansion of Russian territory in at least half a century, Putin signed laws incorporating the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, the Kherson region and the Zaporizhia region into Russia.

“Russian President Vladimir Putin signed four federal constitutional laws on the integration of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions into the Russian Federation,” the lower house of the Russian parliament announced.

“He also signed the relevant ratification laws.”

Russia declared the annexation of these territories after holding referendums, as it described them, in occupied regions of Ukraine. Western governments and Kyiv denounced the votes as a violation of international law and as coercive and unrepresentative.

The annexed territories are not all under the occupation of Russian forces. The territories claimed by Russia in total amount to about 18% of the territory of Ukraine, although their exact borders have not yet been clarified.

Russian Defense Ministry maps released yesterday, Tuesday, appeared to show a rapid withdrawal of Russian invasion forces from areas in eastern and southern Ukraine, where they were under severe pressure from counterattacks by Ukrainian forces.

RES-EMP

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