[Jpost] Putin complains of Western aggression, tragic fall of USSR during speech.
During the annexation ceremony of east Ukrainian provinces, Putin claimed that residents were "taken from their native motherland as the USSR was torn apart."
The ceremony officially annexing occupied Ukrainian territories into the Russian Federation began on Friday at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow.
"Western aggression known no bounds, as with the destruction of the Nordstrom pipelines," Putin said, saying that Western attempts to install regimes "as they see fit" would not work on Russia and other "sensible countries."
Putin concluded by saying that Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia will now "return to their rightful place as part of the motherland."
A signing ceremony was held shortly afterwards, officially solidifying Russia's declaration of annexing the regions.
The signing of the accession agreements was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the Russian-installed leaders of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as both houses of the Russian parliament.
Earlier Friday, Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, a legal prerequisite for allowing their absorption into the country. Russia had previously recognized Donetsk and Luhansk as independent republics in February.
DONETSK, LUHANSK, KHERSON AND ZAPORIZHZHIA
The four territories set to be annexed on Friday comprised around 15% of Ukraine, and formed a land bridge to the Crimean peninsula, which had been seized and annexed by Russia in 2014.
Donetsk and Luhansk's Russia-backed separatists have been in conflict with the Ukrainian government since 2014. The regions have a significant ethnic Russian minority.
Kherson's main city was one of the first major Ukrainian population centers to fall in the Russian invasion. The port city of the same name as the region sits at a strategic position at the mouth of the Dnipro River, which bisects Ukraine.
Zaporizhzhia has notable sites within its territory, such as the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Enerhodar, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. |