State Duma Ratifies Agreements on DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye & Kherson Regions Joining Russia

The ratification comes on the heels of a ceremony in the Kremlin on Friday at which President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of the Donbass republics and the pro-Russian administrators of the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions signed treaties on the regions' admission into the Russian Federation.

The State Duma unanimously ratified treaties on the admission of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions into Russia on Monday.

"The Russian Federation [now] has 89 constituent entities. We are together," Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said shortly after the treaties' ratification. "The entry of [the new territories] is the only way to save millions of lives from the criminal regime in Kiev - to stop the shelling of civilians, the elderly, women, children. To protect their rights to their native language, culture, history, and faith."

The agreements, which were signed in the Kremlin on September 30, now require formal ratification by the Federation House - Russia's upper house of parliament. The body is expected to consider the matter on Tuesday.

The treaties outline the borders of the new territories as those which "existed on the day of their formation and acceptance into the Russian Federation," with their boundaries with foreign states to be considered the state border of the Russian Federation. The documents also specify that the territories will retain their current names, with their leaders to receive the status of governors, and be appointed by the president.

'People Have Made Their Choice'

The Donbass republics and the Russian-controlled and administered regions of Zaporozhye and Kherson held status referendums over a five day period between September 23 and 27. The overwhelming majority of residents in each territory (ranging from 87-99 percent) voted to join Russia, with voter turnout ranging from 77-97.5 percent.

Speaking at Friday's ceremony, Putin said that the people of the four territories had "made their unequivocal choice," and asked authorities in Kiev "and their handlers in the West" to remember and understand that "the people living in Lugansk and Donetsk, in Kherson and Zaporozhye have become our citizens, forever."

The Russian president called on Ukraine's authorities to cease fire and return to the negotiating table with Moscow. "Kiev's current authorities should respect this free expression of the people's will; there is no other way. This is the only way to peace," he said.

Putin added that Russia would defend its new territories "with all the forces and resources we have," and rebuild destroyed cities and towns, residential areas, schools, hospitals, theaters and museums, as well as industry, factories, infrastructure, social security, pension, healthcare and education systems.

The United States and its allies slammed referendums as "sham votes," and characterized the accession treaties as pretexts for the Russian "annexation" of Ukrainian territory, with US President Joe Biden vowing to help Kiev "regain" the lost lands by further "strengthening its hand militarily and diplomatically."

The United States and NATO have already funneled tens of billions of dollars in military and financial support to Kiev since the 2014 coup - with the majority of these resources distributed after Russia began its operation to "demilitarize" and "de-Nazify" Ukraine in February. Russia began the military operation after seven years of foot-dragging by Ukrainian officials in implementing the terms of the Minsk Agreements - the 2015 peace accords which would have allowed Kiev to reincorporate the rebelling Donbass regions back into Ukraine in exchange for broad autonomy.