Russian President Vladimir Putin signed two decrees recognizing the territories of Ukraine, Kherson and Zaporizhia, as sovereign states. The decrees take effect immediately.
Receiving independence and state sovereignty of Kherson and Zaporizhia regions comes into effect from the date of signing - two decrees have a signing date of September 29.
The signing of the decree recognizing the independence of the two Ukrainian territories by the Russian president took place right before the official ceremony on September 30, in which President Vladimir Putin was expected to sign a treaty on the union of Kherson and Zaporizhia as well as the two self-proclaimed Donbass regions in eastern Ukraine to Russia.
Referendums on Russian absorbtion were held in Zaporizhia and Kherson, as well as in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), from September 23 to 27.
In Kherson, 87.05% of voters voted to declare independence and join the Russian Federation. The Zaporizhia region also supported the idea of separating from Ukraine and joining Russia, with 93.23% of voters in favor. In Donetsk, 99.23% of those who voted in favor of the move, while in Lugansk, the slightly lower figure was 98.42%.
After President Putin signs a treaty to merge four Ukrainian territories into Russia, the documents will be submitted to the Russian Constitutional Court. The State Duma - the lower house of the Russian parliament, will then have to ratify the documents before sending them to the Federal Council - Senate - to carry out similar procedures.
The self-proclaimed Donbass regions as well as Kherson and Zaporizhia could become part of Russia soon after lawmakers pass a new law on the establishment of these regions and the corresponding law signed by President Putin.
In February 2022, Russia recognized the self-proclaimed Donbass region in eastern Ukraine as independent states. Russia entered Ukraine on February 24 with a declaration of defense of Donbass - an area consisting of Donetsk and Lugansk. Russia also asked Ukraine to officially declare itself a neutral state, never joining any Western military bloc. Kiev insists Moscow's attack is completely groundless.
During the Ukrainian war, Russian forces took control of Kherson and Zaporizhia. Since then, pro-Russian local officials have repeatedly mentioned the idea of joining Russia before holding a September poll.
