Putin submits accession treaties of occupied Ukrainian territories to State Duma for approval

Russian President Vladimir Putin has submitted the accession treaties of four Ukrainian territories’ to State Duma for ratification.

Russian parliament is scheduled to review the treaties on Monday, Russia’s state-run news agency TASS reported.

Putin on Friday, signed the accession agreements of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson, the four occupied Ukrainian regions that have voted in favor of joining to Russia in referendums held at the end of last month.

The agreements specify the borders of the new regions, among other things, TASS said. The borders of the four regions adjacent to a foreign state would become the new state border of the Russian Federation, the news agency said.

The parliamentary elections in the four annexed regions will be held on a single voting day in September 2023, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu agency said, citing Russian media. 

The Russian Ruble has been declared the monetary unit in the regions, Anadolu added. 

However, the Ukrainian Hryvnia will be allowed to be used until the end of the year, it said.