The day promises to be one of the most significant since the start of the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin will ratify on Friday the annexation of the occupied territories in Ukraine, where referendums on attachment to Moscow were held from September 23 to 27, the Russian presidency announced on Thursday.
“A ceremony for signing agreements on the entry of new territories into the Russian Federation will be held tomorrow at 3 p.m. (12 p.m. GMT) in the Kremlin,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry told reporters. Peskov. “Vladimir Putin will deliver a voluminous speech at this event,” he added.
The RIA Novosti news agency in Russia confirms that “deputies of the State Duma (the russian parliament) received an invitation to the Kremlin for an event on September 30 with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin”.
This announcement comes after the organization of annexation “referendums” in four regions of Ukraine partly controlled by Moscow: Donetsk and Lugansk in the east, Kherson and Zaporijjia in the south. These polls are described as “simulacra” by kyiv and the West, who have already assured that they would not recognize the annexation of these territories. Russia has already annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea (south) in 2014, which is not recognized by the international community.
The announced annexation of Ukrainian territories marks an escalation in Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Several Russian officials and commentators have indeed claimed that once these territories have been annexed and considered by Moscow as part of its territory, Russia could use nuclear weapons to “defend” them. Vladimir Putin said last week that Russia was ready to use “all means” in its arsenal to “defend” its territory. “It’s not a bluff,” he insisted.