Russia to Formally Annex Parts of Ukraine on Friday

Putin will attend the ceremony of annexation on Friday in the Kremlin, which will see the four regions incorporated into Russia.

The annexation which was condemned by the West and tagged “illegal and rigged”, was expected after the votes in the areas under Russian occupation in Ukraine. From the results, Moscow claimed the residents of those regions fully supported for their regions to formally become a part of Russia.

The regions will sign a treaty that will bring them under Moscow in a ceremony at Kremlin’s St. George’s hall.

Ukraine and the United States have massively criticized the referendum, calling it a “sham”. Ukraine says “it is illegitimate and they have every right to retake territories”.