Flags of four new Russian regions installed in Federation Council

The flags of four new Russian regions - the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions have been installed in a ceremony at the Federation Council upper house of the Russian parliament on Wednesday.

 

“The Donetsk and Lugansk Republics and the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions are henceforth full-fledged Federation subjects. We now number 89,” FC speaker Valentina Matviyenko said.  “According to the established tradition, their flags will take their legitimate place in the flag gallery of the chamber of regions.”

 

She said that the ceremony was symbolic in the run-up to National Unity Day, the holiday that consolidates all residents of the country and reminds about key historic events.

 

“I have no doubts that the reunification of Donbass, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions with Russia will go down in our history as a crucial, heart-warming and long-awaited event,” Matviyenko said adding that “the flags (of the new regions) symbolize their open and independent choice.”

 

Addressing residents of the four new Russian regions, the FC speaker said that they had “suffered much and paid a bitter price for the opportunity to choose their future by themselves, showing exemplary steadfastness, confidence in themselves, and loyalty to their values and ideals.”

 

“Now you are an integral part of a large and powerful country. I’m confident that the day is near when your hardships will finally stop and you’ll start living a quiet peaceful life again. All together, we’ll defend the towns, build roads, restore the economy and ensure decent life for new citizens of Russia,” Matviyenko said.

 

Flag bearers then installed the flags of the four new Russian regions in the Flag Gallery of the Federation Council (where each region has two representatives) as Russia’s national anthem was played.

 

The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014.  The peace talks that began soon thereafter failed to reach tangible results due to Kiev’s position to settle the conflict by force.

 

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation to protect Donbass residents from Ukrainian aggression. Earlier, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin asked the Russian leader to provide military assistance. On July 3, the LPR militia and Russian armed forces fully liberated the LPR territory from Ukrainian armed formations.

 

The Lugansk People’s Republic, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions acceded to Russia on September 30, 2022, based on the results of the unification referenda.*i*ie