The Russian-backed governments of four Ukrainian territories, currently occupied by Russian troops, claimed that residents overwhelmingly voted in favor of becoming a part of the Russian Federation on Tuesday.
The four territories span Ukraine’s southeastern border with Russia and the previously annexed Ukrainian region of Crimea.
Annexation of the territories is expected to begin on Friday with a signing ceremony in Moscow’s Red Square, according to the BBC.
Ukrainian separatist authorities in the Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk regions, in league with the Russian military, held five-day referendums that reportedly yielded results ranging from 87-99% in support of annexation by Russia.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev took to the social media platform Telegram and wrote, “The referendums are over. The results are clear. Welcome home, to Russia!”
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a televised address on Wednesday, stating, “We support the decision made by the majority of citizens in the People’s Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.”
Many Western leaders are calling the referendums a sham.
“Any decision to proceed with the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned,” stated United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
On Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden claimed the referendum results were “manufactured in Moscow” and pledged that the “United States will never, never, never recognize Russia’s claims on Ukraine sovereign territory,” per Reuters.
This latest move by Russia comes about seven months into a war with Ukraine that began in late February when the former invaded the latter in a bid to overthrow the pro-Western nation government helmed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The annexation of the four Ukrainian regions will unfold in a time of relative disquiet within Russia, following Putin’s order to mobilize an additional 300,000 troops to improve its flagging military position in Ukraine.
As reported in The Dallas Express, the conscription order has sparked anti-government protests and prompted waves of conscription-aged men to flee the country.