Photo: Sputnik.
The Russian Constitutional Court has approved the accession treaties of the republics of Donetsk, Lugansk and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. On September 30, the country’s President Vladimir Putin signed the agreements for its establishment.
In four separate resolutions published on October 2, the Constitutional Court ruled that each of the four founding treaties that have already been signed but are yet to come into force “corresponds to the Constitution of the Russian Federation.”
The decisions of the Constitutional Court indicate that there will be a transitional period – until January 1, 2026 – for the full integration of the new territories into the economic, financial and legal system of Russia. All ethnic groups inhabiting the new territories are guaranteed the preservation of their respective languages and the right to education in their mother tongue.
Back in September 2017, Ukraine passed a controversial law that puts the use of Ukrainian ahead of minority languages in the education process, which was condemned by the governments of Hungary, Romania and Russia. For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov cautiously stated that for many years the Ukrainian authorities have been aggressively derussifying and forced assimilation of citizens, while “Western countries are completely indifferent” to Ukraine becoming a state.
Within 10 days of its establishment, the Russian President will appoint the interim heads of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye governorates.
Now the agreements have to be ratified by both chambers of the Russian parliament, the State Duma and the Federation Council.
The Russian President’s requests to review the constitutionality of the accession agreements reached the Constitutional Court on September 30 after Vladimir Putin signed them in an official ceremony in the Kremlin.
The signing followed referenda held by these territories from September 23-27, in which the “yes” to union with Russia was overwhelmingly won.
(Adopted from Sputnik)