Zelenski urgently convened the National Security Council

Zelenski urgently convened the National Security Council

The Kremlin announced earlier today that Russian President Vladimir Putin will sign the documents on the accession to Russia of the Ukrainian territories where the referendum was held tomorrow at a ceremony in Moscow.

Zelensky previously warned Russia that a "very harsh" response will follow from Kyiv if Moscow annexes four Ukrainian regions after referendums held in those territories.

Pro-Russian officials in four regions of Ukraine controlled by Moscow announced that the overwhelming majority of residents voted in favor of joining the Russian Federation, after five days of voting in a referendum that Kyiv and Western leaders had previously dismissed as a "farce".