Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed decrees recognizing the occupied Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as independent, ahead of their illegal annexation by Russia.
In the decrees, published online by the Kremlin on Friday, Putin recognizes the “state sovereignty and independence” of the two southern Ukrainian regions.
The illegitimate, unilateral decision follows sham votes last weekend in occupied parts of Ukraine, with military escorts and voters held at gunpoint.
In February, the Kremlin signed similar decrees for the region of Luhansk and Donetsk.
Signing the decrees is an intermediary step and paves the way for the occupied regions to be formally annexed into Russia. Putin is set to announce the formal annexation of the four regions on Friday afternoon.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised a “tough” response to the annexations, and Joe Biden said the U.S. will “never, never, never” recognize Russia’s attempt to annex territory in Ukraine.
