Treaties on the accession of DNR, LNR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions to Russia signed in Kremlin

30 сентября 2022
A ceremony of signing the treaties on the accession of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions to Russia was held in the Kremlin, BelTA reported.

Referenda on joining Russia in the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, as well as in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, were held on September 23-27. According to the announced results, this decision was supported by 87.05% of people in Kherson Region, 93.11% in Zaporozhye Region, 99.23%  in the DNR, 98.42% in the LNR. Immediately after the referendums, all four territories asked the Russian side to incorporate them into the Russian Federation.

According to the Russian law, new constituent entities of the Federation can be incorporated into the Russian Federation through the conclusion of an international treaty. Such a mechanism was already used in 2014, when Crimea was first recognized as independent by Russia and then became part of the Russian Federation. Russia recognized the independence of the DNR and LNR back in February 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of Kherson and Zaporozhye regions on September 29.

In accordance with the Constitution of the Russian Federation and other legislative acts, the procedure for accession to Russia consists of the following steps: the foreign state applies to the Russian Federation with a request to become a part of it and to conclude a corresponding interstate treaty. The President of the Russian Federation informs the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Government of the Russian Federation, and holds consultations, if necessary. After an interstate treaty is signed, the Russian head of state applies to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation for an assessment of the conformity of the interstate treaty with the Russian Constitution. If the Constitutional Court gives a positive assessment, the draft interstate treaty, together with a draft federal constitutional law defining the name of the new Russian Federation constituent entity, its status, borders and transitional provisions, is sent to the State Duma. The draft interstate treaty is then submitted for ratification. If these documents in the form of ratification laws are approved, Article 65 of the Constitution, which contains a list of the subjects of the Russian Federation, is amended accordingly. The upper house of the Russian parliament has already announced that it will consider issues related to the inclusion of new regions in Russia at its next session on October 4.