| Part of theRussian invasion of Ukraine and theRusso-Ukrainian War | |
.png) Russian-installed officials at the annexation ceremony in Moscow | |
| Date | 30 September 2022; 3 years ago (2022-09-30) |
|---|---|
| Location | Southern andEastern Ukraine |
| Organised by | Russia |
| Outcome |
|
On 30 September 2022,Russia, amid anongoing invasion of Ukraine, unilaterally declared itsannexation of areas in and around fourUkrainian oblasts—Donetsk,Kherson,Luhansk, andZaporizhzhia. Most of Luhansk Oblast and part of Donetsk Oblast had been controlled bypro-Russian separatists since 2014, while the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts were invaded by Russia in 2022. The boundaries of the areas to be annexed and their borders were not defined; Russian officials stated that they would be defined later. None of the oblasts were fully under Russian control at the time of the declaration, nor since. If limited to the areas then under Russian control (about 90,000 km2 or 15% ofUkraine's territory, roughly the size ofPortugal) the annexation would still be the largest in Europe sinceWorld War II.[5]
The move occurred afterinternationally unrecognized referendums held days prior, which were organized by Russian occupation authorities in territories where hostilities were ongoing and much of the population had fled.[6] It occurred seven months after the start of the invasion and less than a month after the start of theUkrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive. The signing ceremony was held in theGrand Kremlin Palace in Moscow in the presence of occupation authority headsLeonid Pasechnik,Denis Pushilin,Yevgeny Balitsky andVladimir Saldo, and Russian presidentVladimir Putin.
The declared annexation is unrecognized by theinternational community, with the exception ofNorth Korea and, formerly, alsoBa'athist Syria.[needs update][7] Ukraine, theEuropean Union, the United States and the United Nations all said that the referendums and the annexation had no legal basis or effect.[8] Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy said in response that Ukraine would apply tojoinNATO on an expedited basis.[9] On 19 October Russiaintroduced martial law within the annexed and controlled areas, with legislation allowing for bans on public gatherings and other widespread restrictions on personal liberty.[10]
The UkrainianKherson andKharkiv counteroffensives allowed Ukraine to recapture parts of its territory, includingKherson on11 November 2022.[11]
Vast regions to the north of theBlack Sea were sparsely populated and were known as theWild Fields (as translated from Polish or Ukrainian). In the 15th century, the entire area of the northern coast of the Black Sea came under the control of theCrimean Khanate, which became a vassal of theOttoman Empire. The Russian Empire gradually gained control over the area in the 18th century, signing peace treaties with theCossack Hetmanate and with the Ottoman Empire after theRusso-Turkish Wars. The nameNovorossiya entered official usage in 1764. It was further expanded by annexing the Ukrainian CossackZaporozhian Sich in 1775.[14]
The four oblasts insouthern andeastern Ukraine originated fromYekaterinoslav,Kherson,Taurida andKharkov Governorates andDon Host Oblast of theRussian Empire. They were reorganizedover the years during Communist rule when Ukraine was part of theSoviet Union. The boundaries remained static after Ukraine became independent in 1991. All four regions overwhelmingly voted in favour of Ukrainian independence during the1991 Ukrainian independence referendum.[citation needed]
In February and March 2014, following therevolution in Ukraine, Russia occupied and subsequentlyannexed Crimea from Ukraine by way of holdinga referendum.The annexation was mostlyinternationally unrecognized and was condemned by theUN General Assembly.[15] In April 2014, pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine proclaimed the independence of theDonetsk People's Republic (in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast) and theLuhansk People's Republic (in Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast) with unofficial support from Russia.[16][17][18]
On 21 February 2022, Russiaofficially recognized the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic and, three days later, started afull-scale invasion of Ukraine, during which they occupied territory in theKherson andZaporizhzhia Oblasts, with formal military occupations beginning in the first week.[19] On 23 February, Putin in atelevised address announced a "special military operation" in Ukraine,[20] launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.[21] In his speech, Putin claimed that Russia has no plans tooccupy Ukrainian territory,[22] adding: "We are not going to impose anything on anyone by force".[20]
On 20 September, the authorities of theDonetsk People's Republic, theLuhansk People's Republic, as well as the occupation regimes ofKherson Oblast andZaporizhzhia Oblast, announced referendums on joining Russia on 23–27 September.[23][24][25]
On 27 September, Russian officials claimed that the accession "referendum" inZaporizhzhia Oblast passed, with 93.11% of voters in favor of joining Russia.[26]
Following the annexation referendums in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, the Russian military-civilian administrations of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia proclaimed independence as an intermediate step for Russian annexation.[27][failed verification] The day after the referendums were held, the KMCA proclaimed the independence of the 'Kherson region'.[28][failed verification] The ZMCA did the same for Zaporizhzhia, proclaiming independence for the 'Zaporozhye region'.[29][30][failed verification]
On 29 September, Russia recognized Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as independent countries, hours before annexing them.[31][32]
On 30 September, Putin signed accession treaties with the four pro-Russian leaders of the regions,Leonid Pasechnik, Head of the Luhansk People's Republic;Denis Pushilin, Head of the Donetsk People's Republic;Yevgeny Balitsky, governor of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast; andVolodymyr Saldo, governor of the Kherson Oblast.[33] The exact boundaries of the territories declared annexed were, however, not legally defined, with the drafts of final annexation documentsrecursively referring to territories "on the day of the admission to the Russian Federation" and on the day of "the formation of a new constituent entity within the Russian Federation", both being prospective future events.[33]
Hours after the declared annexation, the Ukrainian army recaptured several towns in Donetsk Oblast as part of the2022 Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive.
At the time of the annexation proceedings in early October, Russian authorities stated that the Luhansk People's Republic and Donetsk People's Republic (collectively called the Donbas[34]) would maintain their 2014 borders.[35] They also stated that elsewhere, the new Russian border was not clearly defined, and would be defined in consultation with local residents.[36][37] It was also stated that Russian-held parts ofMykolaiv Oblast would be incorporated into Russian-controlled Kherson Oblast.[38]
Russia did not hold the entirety of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and ZaporizhzhiaOblasts; at the time, it held about 60% of Donetsk Oblast, most of Luhansk Oblast, almost all of Kherson Oblast, and about 70% of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.[39] It held almost none of Mykolaiv Oblast, and hadrecently lost all but a small part of the areas it had controlled inKharkiv Oblast;[34] Ukrainian intelligence claimed to have obtained documents indicating that a planned annexation referendum in Kharkiv Oblast was cancelled as a result of these losses.[40]
It was not clear whether Russia was claiming those portions of the named oblasts which it does not hold under military control.[41] Russian authorities did state that all of the Donetsk region would be treated as part of Russia, and that the portion not under Russian control would be "liberated".[42] The areas which were controlled by Russia at the time[34][43] amount to about 15% of Ukraine's total area, more than 90,000 km2 (35,000 sq mi)—roughly the size ofHungary orPortugal.[44]
On 3 October, Putin's spokespersonDmitry Peskov stated that the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics will be annexed in "their 2014 borders", while as for the Zaporizhzhia and Khersonoblasts Russia will "continue consultations with the residents as to their borders".[45] These comments caused confusion and polemics among supporters of the annexation in Russia, with former Ukrainian parliamentarian and Russian collaboratorOleg Tsaryov arguing "there is no 2014 borders" of DNR and LNR.[46]
Russia'sState Duma unanimouslyrubber stamped the annexations on 3 October.[47] The annexation of each oblast received more "yes" votes than there were lawmakers present.[47] ChairmanVyacheslav Volodin blamed the discrepancies on a "technical failure".[47] TheFederation Council approved the annexations not long afterwards and President Putin signed them into law.[48] The annexation was carried out also in violation of Russian law.[49]
On 1 October, Russia began requiring Ukrainians wishing to cross into Ukrainian-held areas to fill outexit visas and get permission in advance. The number of people arriving from areas of Russian control slowed to a trickle, with talk of a "newIron Curtain".[50] Getting permission to leave can take up to two weeks and requires clearances from various Russian security agencies.[51]
On 19 October, PresidentVladimir Putin declaredmartial law in the annexed areas.[52]
Newsweek reported in September 2022 that some estimates suggest that the reconstruction of the annexed territories would cost Russia between $100 and $200 billion.[53] A state budget published on 29 September by the Kremlin revealed that 3.3 billion roubles (about US$59 million) had been set aside to rebuild the regions.[54]
In December 2022, Peskov said that any peace plans to end theRusso-Ukrainian War can only proceed from Ukraine's recognition of Russia's annexation of occupied regions in September 2022.[55] In January 2023, Putin cited recognition of Russia's sovereignty over the annexed territories as a condition forpeace talks with Ukraine.[56]
In July 2024,Chief of the General Staff of the British ArmyRoland Walker said that with the current way of fighting, it would take Russia five years to fully control the four annexed regions, and it would cost Russia more than 1.5 millioncasualties.[57] He said there were "no winners" in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, adding that "it is an utter devastation for both sides and lost generations."[58]
Russian presidentVladimir Putin delivered a 37-minute-long speech toboth chambers of theRussian parliament about the annexation ofDonetsk,Kherson,Luhansk andZaporizhzhia oblasts into Russia.[59][60] He spoke in the St. George Hall of theGrand Kremlin Palace in theMoscow Kremlin.[61][62] The tone of the speech was stronglyanti-American andanti-Western, to the point where observers described it as his most anti-Western speech to date.[63]
Following the results of recentreferendums on the annexation of occupied territories of Ukraine by Russia—which were condemned asshams by independent observers and theinternational community—Putin said that it was the "will of millions of people" in these territories to become part of Russia and to become Russian citizens "forever". He citedArticle 1 of the UN charter as justification for his claims.[62][64]
Within the speech, Putin spoke about the colonial past of the Western world, denouncing its "totalitarianism, despotism andapartheid",[61] and accused it of attempting to create aneo-colonial andunipolarworld order.[62] He said that the West intended to destroy Russia as a nation,[65] and called "the ruling circles of the so-called West" "the enemy"[65] threatening religion and morality, accusing the West ofSatanism.[62]
Putin also blamed the recentNord Stream gas leaks on the "Anglo-Saxons"[62] and said that theuse of nuclear weapons by the US on Hiroshima and Nagasaki "set a precedent".[62]
According toReuters, if Russia "formally annexed a vast additional chunk of Ukraine, Putin would essentially be daring the United States and its European allies to risk a direct military confrontation", and would certainly escalate the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.[66]
The UN's Under Secretary General for Political and Peacebuilding AffairsRosemary DiCarlo rejected the referendum and said, "Unilateral actions aimed to provide a veneer of legitimacy to the attempted acquisition by force by one State of another State's territory while claiming to represent the will of the people, cannot be regarded as legal under international law".[67]
AUnited Nations Security Council meeting was held on 30 September 2022, to vote on a resolution to condemn Russia for annexing these territories, resulting in ten yes votes, one no vote, and four abstentions. The resolution failed because Russiavetoed it. Brazil, China, Gabon and India abstained from the vote.[a]
On 12 October 2022, the UN General Assembly passedResolution ES-11/4, titled "Territorial integrity of Ukraine: defending the principles of the Charter of the United Nations", with 143 nations voting in favor, 5 against and 35 abstaining. It condemned the "illegal so-called referendums" and the "attempted illegal annexation" and demanded that Russia immediately reverse its decisions and withdraw its forces from Ukraine.[69][70]
OnlyNorth Korea andSyria (then still under theBa'athist regime, which is a close ally of Russia) have recognized the Russian annexation of the four partially occupied regions of Ukraine.[71][72]
AYouGov poll showed that in February 2023, 63% of respondents inSweden wanted to support Ukraine in a war with Russia until Russian troops leave all occupied territories.[73] AGallup poll conducted in June 2023 found that 62% of respondents in theUnited States wanted to support Ukraine in regaining territory that Russia had captured, even if it meant prolonging the war between Russia and Ukraine, while 32% wanted to end the war as quickly as possible, even if it meant allowing Russia to keep the territory it conquered in southeastern Ukraine.[74]
On September 9, 2023, theAzerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the "sham 'elections'" held in parts of Ukraine.[75][76]
On 7 August 2022, the president of UkraineVolodymyr Zelenskyy said that "if the occupiers proceed along the path of pseudo-referendums they will close for themselves any chance of talks with Ukraine and the free world, which the Russian side will clearly need at some point."[77] Following the annexation ceremony, Zelenskyy declared that Ukraine would not negotiate with Russia "as long as Putin is president", and requested a "fast-track"NATO membership in response.[78]
In the poll conducted by theKyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) between 13 and 18 May 2022, 82% of Ukrainians said they did not support any territorial concessions to Russia, even if that meant prolonging the war.[79] Another KIIS poll conducted in September 2022 found that 87% of Ukrainians opposed any territorial concessions to Russia.[80]
On 29 September, Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Zelenskyy, said that the Russian plans to annex parts of Ukraine "do not make legal sense" and that the annexation ceremony was a "Kremlin freak show".[81]
The UkrainianKherson andKharkiv counteroffensives allowed Ukraine to recapture parts of its territory, including the city ofKherson on11 November.[11]
Mr. Putin's claim to more than 15 per cent of Ukraine's territory is the largest annexation in Europe since the Second World War.
So-called "referendums" are under way in areas of Ukraine occupied by Russian troops, with residents told to vote on proposals for the four Ukrainian regions to declare independence and then join Russia.
The boundaries of the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic are determined by the boundaries of the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic as established by the Constitution of the Donetsk People's Republic on the day of its formation and on the day of the admission to the Russian Federation of the Donetsk People's Republic and the formation of a new constituent entity within the Russian Federation.
Even Mr Peskov was unable to define where Russia would draw its new borders in occupied southern Ukraine. However, he said Russia would treat all of the Donetsk region as part of Russia. As for those parts not under occupation, he said those would have to be "liberated".
0.7*27.183+28.461+0.6*26.517+26.684=90.083 thousand square kilometers{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Some estimates suggest that it would cost between $100 billion and $200 billion to rebuild the civilian infrastructure, like bridges and buildings, that has been decimated by the war.
Part of theRusso-Ukrainian war (2022–present) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military engagements |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| War crimes |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reactions |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Impact |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Key people |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Related | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
