CAPTURE THE FLAGS

Putin Tries to Make His Annexation Official This Week by Signing Accession of Territory

The ceremony in the Kremlin will formalize the results of sham referendums.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will on Friday sign treaties of accession making occupied regions of Ukraine officially part of the Russian Federation, officials say. The signing ceremony will take place in the Kremlin at 3 p.m. Moscow time, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov announced Thursday. The accessions come after four occupied Ukrainian territories—Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Donetsk—held referendums on the question of formally becoming part of Russia this week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his international allies dismissed the votes as a sham, arguing that no referendum conducted under the barrel of a gun could be legitimate. All four regions opted to formally align with Moscow, with Donetsk approving the decision with 99 percent of the vote, according to official results. International observers fear the regions joining Russia could lead to an escalation in the conflict, with Putin able to argue that any attacks in the formerly Ukrainian lands could be construed as attacks on Russia itself.

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Dan Ladden-HallBreaking News Editor

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