Putin Declares Annexation of Four Newly Established Regions in Occupied Ukraine Territory

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on the 30th (local time) that "four new regions have been added to Russia," announcing the annexation of occupied territories within Ukraine.

According to TASS news agency, President Putin made this statement during a speech at the Kremlin ahead of the signing of the annexation treaty with four occupied territories in Ukraine, saying, "Russia will use all means to defend its territory."

The newly annexed areas are the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) in eastern Ukraine, as well as the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.

The combined area of these occupied territories is approximately 90,000 square kilometers, about 15% of Ukraine's total territory, roughly equivalent to the size of Portugal.

These four regions decided to join Russia through local referendums held over five days from the 23rd to the 27th, with approval rates ranging from 87% to 99% in each area.

President Putin justified the annexation requests from the occupied territories through the referendums by claiming they were based on the right to self-determination guaranteed by the United Nations Charter.

He added, "Now that the will of the people in these regions is clear, I am confident that the Federal Assembly will support their annexation."

Regarding Ukraine, he stated, "Russia does not intend to return to the Soviet Union," and urged, "We are ready for dialogue. Military actions must stop immediately, and negotiations must resume at the table."

Following his recognition of the independence of the DPR and LPR on February 21, President Putin also recognized the independence of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions on the 29th, completing all preparations for annexation.

Once the treaty is signed, legal procedures such as approval by the upper and lower houses of parliament and the president's final signature will proceed.

Valentina Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council, stated that official territorial annexation could be reviewed on October 4.