At least 25 people have been killed and 28 injured in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia, officials said.
Zaporizhia’s regional governor, Oleksandr Starov, announced the grim news in a statement on Friday. He said Russian forces targeted a humanitarian aid convoy bound for Russian-occupied territories.
Starukh posted a photo of a dead body lying on the ground and a destroyed vehicle after the attack, which Russia did not immediately confirm.
The governor said a convoy of people traveled to rescue relatives from the Russian-occupied territory. Moscow plans to formally annex four regions of Ukraine on Friday after holding controversial referendums in disputed areas.
Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Ukrainian region at the ceremony on Friday
A “fake referendum” held by Russian agents earlier this month allegedly asked Ukrainians in the disputed territory if they wanted to become part of Russia. Voting took place in the Luhansk and Kherson regions, in addition to the Zaporizhia and Donetsk regions, which are partly controlled by Russia.
After five days of voting, Russian-appointed Ukrainian officials claimed to have won civilian support, in addition to 98 percent in Luhansk, 99 percent in Donetsk, 93 percent in Zaporizhia and 87 percent in Kherson. .
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Officials from all four Moscow-based regions say the vote shows their support for Russia’s illegal seizure of Ukrainian territory. Russia previously held a similar referendum in Crimea, and used the results to annex the peninsula in 2014.
The illegal referendum, which has been repeatedly criticized by Western leaders, is expected to escalate the Russo-Ukrainian war.
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The four territories are set to be formally annexed by Russia in a ceremony in Moscow on Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin will then deliver a speech at the Kremlin.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.