Russia has announced the annexation of lands stolen from Ukraine following “farce” referendums unrecognized by the international community. However, the borders of the regions are not clear, as the Kremlin admits. According to spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk are part of Russia within the 2014 borders. In the Kherson and Zaporozhya regions, on the other hand, the border issue is to be resolved in the course of another confrontation with the population. Questioned by journalists, Interfax reports that Peskow is not untying the knots.
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“In Kherson and Zhaporzhzhia we will continue to consult with the population about the borders,” said Peskov. When asked whether the Kyiv-controlled areas of these regions are considered Russian by the Kremlin, the spokesman replied: “I have nothing more to add now.”
When asked how to consult the population at the borders, Peskov said he could not answer that everything will depend on the will of the residents of the areas. Not even the law annexing the new territories, which Russian President Vladimir Putin is about to sign, will clarify the borders: Peskov said he believes the “wording will remain the same”.
The Duma unanimously approved the annexations on the same day. However, he did so with 4 “curious” votes. The scoreboard showing the results of the four different votes (one for each region) in the House of Commons gave the numbers. Although there were no dissenting votes or abstentions, each of the four votes produced different results.
The annexation of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, 413 and 412 votes in favor, respectively. The annexation of Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, 409 and 411. To further complicate matters, news site Agentsvo points out that 408 deputies were present in the hall today. It follows that in all four votes there were more yes votes than the members cast. Duma President Vyacheslav Volodin attributed the discrepancy to a “technical failure” and urged everyone “not to worry about one more or one less vote”.