The transitional period for the integration of new territories will last until 2026

On September 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent four requests to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation regarding the verification of compliance with the Basic Law of the signed agreements on the admission of new territories (LPR, DPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions) into the country. On October 2, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation decided that the mentioned documents comply with Russian legislation.

Four resolutions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, published on its website, say that the LPR, DPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions legally became part of Russia on September 30. They are considered accepted in the Russian Federation as separate entities and will retain their current names. Thus, treaties on admission to Russia are applied from the moment they are signed, i.e. before their ratification by the State Duma and the Federation Council, which require the conclusion of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation for consideration.



Now the head of the Russian state must, within 10 days from the moment the new regions are accepted, appoint temporary acting heads of these constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Moreover, in the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, the leaders will be called governors, and in the LPR and DPR - the heads of the republics.

In addition, the transition period for the full integration of new territories with the Russian Federation will last until January 1, 2026. Elections of regional parliaments and leaders of the agreed subjects of the Russian Federation will be held in September 2023. Moreover, citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons living in these subjects of the Russian Federation are recognized as citizens of Russia. In turn, Russia guarantees all peoples living in new regions the right to preserve and learn their native language. At the same time, it should be taken into account that the LPR and DPR became part of Russia in the status of republics with Russian as the state language.