The Kremlin spokesman announced that this Friday in Moscow the formal ceremony of annexation of four zones of Ukraine will be held, after the self-convened referendums that were condemned by Ukraine and the West as a farce.
“Tomorrow at 15: 00 the signing will take place in the Georgievsky Hall of agreements on the entry of new territories into the Russian Federation. Putin will make a long speech”, said Dmitry Peskov.
The disputed votes were held in Luhansk and Donetsk, in the east, and in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, in the south.
Russian-backed officials claimed that the five-day exercise had resulted in near total popular support.
However, no independent oversight occurred of the process and there were accounts of election officials going from door to door escorted by armed soldiers.
BBC journalist Paul Kirby reported that a stage has already been set up in Red Square, with billboards proclaiming that the four regions are part of Russia.
The Russian news agency TASS reported that a concert is scheduled “ in support of the results of the referendums”.
International repercussions
On the sidelines of this ceremony On Friday, Putin will speak with the heads of the annexed territories as well as the Russian-appointed leaders of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, Peskov reported.
The United States announced that will impose sanctions on Russia for the referendums and the Member States of the European Union are analyzing an eighth round of measures against Moscow.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Thursday that in the occupied regions of Ukraine people from their homes and workplaces with threats and sometimes at gunpoint.
“This is the opposite of free and fair elections. And this is the opposite of peace, it is a dictated peace”, he added.
“You have to answer verbally and the soldier marks the answer on the sheet and keeps it”, said one woman in Enerhodar to the BBC.
Exercise started in 05% of Ukraine last Friday with only a few days notice.
Russian state media argued that the use of armed guards was for security reasons.
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