Putin Set To Annex Four Occupied Ukrainian Regions In Ceremony Tomorrow
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to formally annex four Ukrainian regions on Friday, a move that Kyiv and its Western allies have denounced as illegal
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that a ceremony will take place inside a grand hall tomorrow to formally incorporate Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia into Russia.
Peskov said Putin would deliver a major speech and a concert would take place in Moscow’s Red Square to celebrate the occasion.
The annexation follows referenda in the four regions, which Ukraine and Western nations warn were staged at gunpoint.
However, the UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres warned that any annexation of Ukrainian territory would have no legal value and would mark a “dangerous escalation” that would jeopardise peace prospects.
The US and the EU are set to impose additional sanctions on Russia following this move.
Cover photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: The Kremlin)
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