Yahoo Movies What does annex mean as Vladimir Putin ‘declares’ four areas of Ukraine?
Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed new laws claiming that he is annexing four Ukranian regions, in defiance of international sanctions and law.
The move illegally absorbs Donetsk, Luhanks, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine into Russia, after a widely denounced referendum last week, that was rejected by the West.
The Kremlin-orchestrated referenda have been used by Moscow as a pretext in order to annex occupied regions of Ukraine, with both houses of the Russian parliament ratifying treaties last week, in the wake of the vote, reports ITV.
The illegal annexation has the potential to lead the eight-month-long war into a dangerous new phase, with Russia warning that it could deploy nuclear weapons in order to defend what it considers to be its territory.
Following the referendum, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “The situation will radically change from the legal viewpoint, from the point of view of international law, with all the corresponding consequences for protection of those areas and ensuring their security.”
In light of the recent events, here’s a look at what it means to annex a country or area.
What does annexing mean?
Annexing refers to a formal act of a state proclaiming its sovereignty over territory outside its previous boundaries.
Unlike cession, where territory is given or sold through treaties, annexation is an act usually decided by the dominant state, made effective by possession and legitimised through general global recognition.
As with the annexation of Crimea, Russia’s two houses of parliament will formally ratify the annexation treaties for the four areas of Ukraine next week.
In response, the US has confirmed it will impose sanctions on Russia due to the staged referendums, while EU member states are considering an eighth round of measures, including sanctions on anyone involved in the votes.
“This is the opposite of free and fair elections,” said German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, describing that people in occupied regions of Ukraine had been taken from their homes and workplaces by threat and sometimes at gunpoint. “And this is the opposite of peace, it is a dictated peace.”
What areas of Ukraine is Putin ‘annexing’?
The four areas that Russia is attempting to annex are Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, and Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south.
Russia does not fully control any of these regions it has decided to annex, although most of Luhansk remains under Russian control. However, Moscow controls just 60 per cent of Donetsk.
This comes after Ukrainian forces have been gradually forcing Russian troops back, eight months after Russia first invaded.
The capital of the southern region of Zaporizhzhia is back under the control of Ukraine’s government, and a counter-offensive is already underway in Kherson.
