A guide to Moscow's steps to finalize the accession of the 4 regions

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Moscow announced Tuesday evening the results of the referenda held in Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions to join Russia.

The head of Russia's upper house stated Tuesday that the incorporation of Russia-controlled parts of four Ukrainian regions into Russia could be considered on October 4, as per the RIA Novosti news agency.

Read more: Social Movement calls for a referendum on joining Russia

The official results concluded that in the regions of Lugansk and Donetsk, 98% and over 99% of voters respectively support the regions joining Russia, as for 93% in Zaporozhye and 87% in Kherson.

The legal process in Russia to conclude accession of regions

Russian senator and vice speaker of the upper house of parliament, Konstantin Kosachev, explained in a post on Telegram that after receiving the regions' request to join the Russian Federation, the Russian President is to inform parliament and the government.

Furthermore, a "draft international treaties on the admission of foreign states or parts of them" should be made if the accession request was agreed upon. "This law enters into force no earlier than the entry into force of the international treaties themselves," the vice speaker added.

Read more: LPR, DPR call for referendum on joining Russia

The Senator explained that the agreements with the regions should include their name and status, as well as citizenship, succession process, how public authorities in the regions function, and legislation. The agreements then are studied by the Russian Constitutional Court and afterwards, verification is sent to the lower house of the parliament and State Duma to be signed, which must be then approved by the Russian Federation Council and the upper house of the parliament.

The upper house receives at the same time a draft federal constitutional law to admit the new territories to Russia for consideration, which must have been approved prior by Duma.

The voting in the referenda of DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye, and Kherson's accession to the Russian Federation has begun early on Friday.

Residents of the Zaporozhye and Kherson areas joined the initiative last Tuesday after local public organizations submitted identical demands to their authorities.

More than a hundred foreign observers from 40 countries, excluding specialists from Russia, attended the referenda in the Lugansk and Donetsk people’s republics as well as in Zaporozhye and Kherson regions on their joining the Russian Federation.

US, NATO and EU will not recognize the results of referenda

The US and NATO announced that they will not recognize the results of the referenda in the four regions: "These referenda are an affront to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that underpin the international system," stated US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, adding that "if this does transpire, the United States will never recognize Russia's claims to any purportedly annexed parts of Ukraine."

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the referenda will be viewed as illegitimate calling on the international community to denounce them: "Sham referendums have no legitimacy & do not change the nature of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. This is a further escalation in Putin’s war. The international community must condemn this blatant violation of international law & step up support for Ukraine."

In addition to the US and NATO's reactionary response to the referenda, EU foreign policy Chief Josep Borell stated that all those involved in referenda to join Russia and other "violations of international law" in Ukraine will be held accountable, saying that "Russia, its political leadership, and all those involved in these 'referenda' and other violations of international law in Ukraine will be held accountable, and additional restrictive measures against Russia would be considered."

It's noteworthy that at the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russia's formal recognition of the independence of the DPR and LPR, which led to Ukraine escalating against the republics and using various tactics to try and undermine their leadership and hurt their civilians.