Putin officially annexes more than 15% of the territory of Ukraine and transfers the management of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to his country

EU agrees to impose new sanctions against Russia

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a debate on "Russia's escalation of its war against Ukraine" in the European Parliament.

AFP

Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin officially completed the annexation of more than 15% of the territory of Ukraine, and issued a decree transferring the management of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to Russia, while Ukraine announced the advancement of its forces in its Lugansk region.

Meanwhile, the member states of the European Union agreed to impose a new package of sanctions against Russia, after its annexation of Ukrainian regions, according to what the Czech presidency of the European Union announced.

In the largest expansion of Russian territory in at least half a century, Putin signed laws to incorporate the Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, Kherson Region, and Zaporizhia Region into Russia.

The State Duma, the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, announced that "Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed four federal constitutional laws on the entry into the Russian Federation of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Zaporizhia and Kherson."

He added that he also officially signed the decrees appointing the leaders that Moscow had previously installed at its head.

In a later development, the Russian President issued a decree transferring the management of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to Russia, RT reported.

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Shortly after the Russian announcement, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, revealed that he was on his way to the Ukrainian capital to discuss the establishment of a protection zone around the station.

Meanwhile, Ukraine announced the advance of its forces in its Lugansk region (east), which was controlled almost entirely by the Russians until now, as stated by its Ukrainian ruler, Sergei Gaidai.

"Now it's official," Gaidai said in a video posted on Telegram.

The de-occupation of the Lugansk region began, and many towns were liberated from the Russian army.

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainian army has liberated dozens of towns in recent days, and is advancing in the southern and eastern regions of the country occupied by Russia.

Zelensky said the troops were advancing "quickly and aggressively" and were constantly in control of more areas in Kherson, Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk.

In Moscow, the Kremlin pledged to restore the lands recently lost by Moscow in the areas it annexed in southern and eastern Ukraine, stressing that these areas will remain with Russia "forever."

"Some lands will be restored and we will continue to vote with the (local) residents on their desire to live in Russia," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in response to a question about the exact boundaries of these annexed areas, where Russian forces abandoned some towns after Ukrainian counter-attacks. .

For its part, the member states of the European Union agreed yesterday to impose a new package of sanctions against Russia after its annexation of four Ukrainian regions, according to what the Czech presidency of the European Union announced.

The agreement was reached at the level of ambassadors of the 27 countries.

The names and entities targeted by these new sanctions will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union on Thursday, according to diplomats.

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