Russia to formally annex four occupied Ukrainian regions

President Putin will incorporate Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia into Russia at a ceremony in Moscow on Friday, the Kremlin says.

President Putin's resolution to annex the partially occupied areas into Russia means Moscow will seize about 15 % of Ukraine's complete territory [File: Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via Reuters[

President Vladimir Putin will formally annex four partially Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine on Friday, the Kremlin has said, a move already rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies as illegal and meaningless.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a ceremony to mark the incorporation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia into Russia would take place at 3pm Moscow time (12:00 GMT).

Treaties will be signed alongside the Moscow-appointed administrators of the Ukrainian regions at the Kremlin’s St George’s Hall, he added.

The move was widely expected following annexation votes that ended on Tuesday in the four regions. Moscow-backed local officials claimed residents had overwhelmingly voted in favour of joining Russia.

The hastily arranged votes were held seven months after Russia’s invasion began.

Ukraine dismissed the votes as a sham and promised to punish traitors who assisted in organising them, as it promised to extend its counteroffensive.

‘Russia is talking about a correction of history’

Following the signing ceremonies, Putin will give a speech, the Kremlin said.

Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall, reporting from Moscow, said the Russian-installed leaders of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia landed in the capital ahead of Friday’s events.

“There is preparation for a big public celebration in Moscow’s Red Square … so all the signs are indicating that Russia is determined to take the decision and make it [the annexations] a truth,” Vall stated.

“Russia is speaking about this as a correction of historical past – saying that these areas and Russia have been wronged,” he added.

“Moscow additionally says it's going to take each measure essential to defend them after the annexations, and has even spoken in the previous couple of weeks about nuclear weapons getting used to defend what it's going to name, from tomorrow maybe, its nationwide territory.”

The 4 areas signify about 15 % of Ukraine’s territory.

Annexation will not be a brand new Russian tactic.

Eight years in the past, Russia seized the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine, additionally following a extensively condemned referendum.

To this point, none of Ukraine’s allies has recognised Crimea as Russian land.