Russian parliament votes to annex 4 Ukrainian regions

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Russian parliament votes to annex 4 Ukrainian regions

After President Vladimir Putin held an official signing ceremony at the Kremlin Palace, the Russian parliament on Tuesday voted to approve the incorporation of four Ukrainian regions into the country.

What Happened: The Federation Council, which houses Putin's allies, unanimously ratified legislation to annex four regions of Ukraine — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — reported on Tuesday.

On Monday, a similar vote was held in the lower house of the State Duma.

See Also: Putin's Army Defences Breached: Ukraine Makes Significant Gains in South And East, Seizes Russia-Annexed Territories

The report stated that the annexation document would be sent back to the Kremlin for Putin's final signature to annex the four regions.

This comes after Russia declared victory in a series of UN-condemned referendums to annex a large chunk of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. The referendums marked a new escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war and the spiraling conflict between Putin and the West.

While the decision to annex the four regions has passed through Russia's rubber-stamp parliament, Putin has yet to formally designate the borders for the regions where large parts are under Ukraine's control.

On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said consultations were under way regarding the borders of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Russia does not control four of the Ukrainian regions.

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