MOSCOW, October 3. /TASS/. The accession of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions to Russia has become logical continuation of the reunification of Russian lands, which began in 2014 with the return of Crimea and Sevastopol to Russia’s fold, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the State Duma on Monday.
"This process (the entry of four regions into the Russian Federation - TASS) has become a logical continuation of the reunification of Russian lands, which began with the return of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to Russia’s fold in 2014," he said.
Lavrov stressed that Russia in 2014 saved the population of Crimea from a deadly threat that the Maidan authorities of Ukraine posed to them after the armed coup of 2014. However, the eight years have taught the Kiev regime nothing. With the connivance and direct support of its Western curators Kiev trampled on all international agreements, including the Minsk agreements on a settlement in Donbass.
Lavrov on Monday presented to the State Duma draft international treaties on the accession of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions to Russia and the creation of new territorial entities. The legislators voted for them unanimously.
The treaties were signed in Moscow on September 30. The international treaties, among other things, establish the boundaries of the four new entities. The borders of the newly-admitted republics and regions will be identical to the boundaries of the territory that "existed on the day of their creation and accession to the Russian Federation." Their borders with the territory of a foreign state shall be the state border of Russia.
The agreements also state that from the day these territories were admitted to the Russian Federation, two republics and two regions will be formed. All will retain their current names. Their heads will enjoy the status of governors. The acting heads of the new constituent territories will be appointed by Russia’s president within 10 days following the date of admission. Regional governments will be formed by acting governors in accordance with Russian law.