After the Red Square in the center of Moscow was decorated with flags, and deputies and ministers as well as hundreds of Russian officials attended the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of Four Ukrainian regions Officially to his country, namely Donetsk and Lugansk in addition to Zaporizhia and KhersonHe assured that this decision was final.
To the warm applause, Putin promised to rebuild these cities, so that their residents would feel safe and secure. He emphasized that the residents of those areas had become Russian citizens.
At the same time, he declared his readiness to stop the fighting and negotiate with Kyiv.
domination of the west
To that, the face of the master Kremlin Sharp criticism of the West’s “seeking hegemony” policies, stressing that his country is steadfast and strong in its present and history as well, considering at the same time that the reality of the collapse of the Soviet Union cannot be changed.
He considered that Western countries want to plunder Russia’s wealth, and do not want it strong, stressing that the military forces will defend the country, including the new regions, by all possible means.
He also stressed that his country has a history of more than a thousand years, and therefore will never be subject to the dictates of the West.
As for the leaks of Nordstream gas lines 1 and 2, which extend under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, Putin accused the United States of being involved in the sabotage operations that affected them.
After the Russian president’s lengthy speech, the leaders of the four regions (loyal to Moscow) signed the annexation decrees, making more than 15% of Ukraine’s territory within the Russian territory.
Clarification about Kherson and Zaporizhia
It is noteworthy that the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, had announced earlier today that it would be necessary to “clarify” whether the annexation would include the entire Zaporizhia and Kherson regions or only the parts controlled by Russian forces, but Putin’s speech today did not address this detail.
As for Donetsk and Lugansk, Moscow had recognized their sovereignty at the end of last February, before the start of its military operation on the territory of its western neighbor.
iStock – Donbass region, eastern Ukraine
The Russians currently control 72 percent of Zaporizhia, according to the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), while about 88 percent of Kherson lands and its capital of the same name are under Russian control.