4 occupied regions of Ukraine will be annexed by Russia at a major ceremony today

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has acknowledged the independence of the Ukrainian provinces of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, a significant escalation in the continuing conflict. This followed similar actions he took in February for Luhansk and Donetsk as well as earlier for Crimea. Putin is scheduled to make a "big statement" at the ceremony on Friday, where the annexation would be officially announced.

The decrees paraphrased Putin as saying, "I order the recognition of the state sovereignty and independence of the territories of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, located in southern Ukraine."

Three days after "hastily organized" referendums, in which Moscow-installed authorities in the occupied territories claimed majorities of up to 99% in favor of joining Russia, the decision, which is expected to elicit greater international censure, was made.

Both Ukraine and the West have denounced the votes as fraudulent and invalid. In response to the annexations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed a tough response and called an urgent conference of his defense and security leaders for this Friday. The war-torn nation has urged the West to slap Russia with additional sanctions and to arm Ukrainian soldiers with more equipment so they can continue regaining land.