Russia will formally annex four more areas of Ukraine on Friday, after self-styled referendums in those regions yielded overwhelming support for the move.

The Russian-backed officials who organized the votes said that nearly all of those who cast ballots supported the annexation. The referendums were held in Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, and in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to make a major speech at the Kremlin following the signing ceremony. Ukraine and the West have condemned the referendums as a sham, but Russia has long claimed that the people of those regions want to be part of the Russian Federation.

The annexations are likely to further escalate the tensions between Russia and the West, which have been at loggerheads over Ukraine since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Friday’s move is sure to be met with condemnation from the international community.

Russia has long claimed that the people of those regions want to be part of the Russian Federation. The annexations are likely to further escalate the tensions between Russia and the West, which have been at loggerheads over Ukraine since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Friday’s move is sure to be met with condemnation from the international community.

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