Putin signs laws annexing 4 Ukrainian regions

Russian President Vladimir Putin moved to finalize the illegal annexation of several Ukrainian regions on Wednesday.

The Kremlin announced that Putin signed laws to absorb the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — with Moscow now designating them as parts of Russia.

The documents were published on a Russian government website on Wednesday, reports dw.com.

The move comes after Russia held orchestrated "referendums" in the regions. Ukraine and Western governments have rejected the votes, saying they violated international law and were non-representative and coercive.

The Russian military currently controls only parts of the annexed areas, but nuclear-armed Russia now sees the entire Ukrainian regions as under its protection and part of its territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to Russia's annexation move by lodging a fast-track application to join NATO and to formally rule out talks with Putin.

Agencies