Russia to annex occupied Ukrainian regions at Putin ceremony

The Kremlin said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will annex four regions of Ukraine partially controlled by his military after "sham votes."

Russia will formally annex four regions of Ukraine partially controlled by its military, the Kremlin announced Thursday, in a major political escalation of the war against its neighbor.

It comes after Moscow-backed authorities staged votes in the occupied regions of Ukraine's east and south that were widely denounced as a sham to justify a land grab following Russia's recent military setbacks.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin would attend a ceremony on the accession of the four regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia — at the Kremlin's St. George's Hall on Friday.

"There will be a big speech by Putin there too," he said.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has decried the ballots as an illegal "propaganda show." The United States and its Western allies have also vowed not to recognize Russia’s claim over the occupied areas.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/putin-russia-annex-occupied-ukrainian-regions-ceremony-rcna49936

---