Russia Will Annex Four Parts of Ukraine Tomorrow: Following a series of illegal referendums in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Thursday that Russia would formally sign agreements to annex the four regions. It comes after the Kremlin claims to have received as much as 99% support from local people in the referendums, in some parts of the four regions, for leaving Ukraine and joining the Russian Federation.
The unbelievably high amount of support for Russia in the referendums can be blamed on the fact that millions of Ukrainians have already abandoned the war-torn regions, and many Ukrainians simply refused to take part – or the results were just made up, which seems highly possible.
On Thursday, Peskov said that Russia will hold a signing ceremony on Friday at 3 pm Moscow time. The ceremony would focus on “agreements on the accession of new territories into the Russian Federation,” Peskov claimed.
The problem? Russia does not only not have full control over these four regions, but Ukrainian forces have made significant dents in the territories presently controlled by Russia within each region. Arguably the only territory Russia can still claim to have a reasonable amount of control over is Luhansk, but with Ukrainian troops making gains every single day, it’s potentially only a matter of time before Russian forces are completely forced out of some of these regions that will be annexed by tomorrow.
The statement from Peskov did not confirm whether Russia will formally declare the four Ukrainian regions as Russian territory by tomorrow, or whether the ceremony simply indicates that the process is underway.
Peskov also told reporters that the Russian president plans to make a “substantial speech” during the ceremony, where he will sign “treaties.” The ceremony will also be attended by Kremlin-appointed officials.
Zelenskyy Requests Urgent Meeting
As Russia moves ahead with plans to annex four regions of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy spokesperson Serhiy Nykyforov confirmed the planned meeting in a post on Facebook, writing that the president had requested an “urgent meeting” scheduled for tomorrow.
Nykyforov also promised to reveal other details about the meeting, including the agenda, later in the day.
The meeting will likely discuss not just the illegal referendums held in four Ukrainian regions, but also how they expect Russia will respond to continued fighting in these regions after they are annexed or “officially” declared part of the Russian Federation.
