Formal annexation of an undefined area in and around Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts by the Russian Federation,[1] including a part of Mykolaiv Oblast,[2] and 143 members of the United Nations condemned the annexation and declared it illegal under international law[3]
On 30 September 2022, Russia, amid an ongoing invasion of Ukraine, unilaterally declared its annexation of areas in and around four Ukrainian oblasts—Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. 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% of Ukraine's territory) the annexation would still be the largest in Europe since World War II.[5]
The annexation is unrecognized by the international community, with the exception of North Korea and Syria.[7] Ukraine, the European Union, the United States and the United Nations all said that the referendums and the annexation had no legal basis or effect.[8] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in response that Ukraine would apply to joinNATO on an expedited basis.[9] On 19 October Russia introduced martial law within the annexed and controlled areas, with legislation allowing for bans on public gatherings and other widespread restrictions on personal liberty.[10]
^Walker, Shaun (23 September 2022). "'Referendums' on joining Russia under way in occupied Ukraine". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022. 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.