The administrations of Kherson and Zaporozhye have been the first to formally announced their intent to become part of the Russian Federation.

The head of the civilian-military administration of Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, said on Wednesday he would request president Vladimir Putin to formally approve the adhesion of this region to Russia.

The provincial Electoral Council reported on Tuesday that 87.05 percent of voters in the September 23-27 referendum voted Yes to split from Ukraine and join Russia.

In Zaporozhye, Vladimir Rogov, an official of the local administration, told the media the results of the referendum have shown the region’s inhabitants want to adhere to the Russian Federation. “The decision is irreversible,” he was quoted as saying by the Russian TV channel Pierviy Kanal.

After the vote counting was complete in the plesbicite on September 23 through 27 despite shelling from Ukrainian army, over 93 percent of the inhabitants of Zaporozhye voted to adhere to Russia.

Besides Zaporozhye and Kherson, the referendum was also held in the Donbass provinces of Donetsk, Lugansk that had both proclaimed independence from Ukraine in may 2014 after they rejected the new authorities in Kiev resulting from the US-backed coup against constitutional president Víktor Yanukovich.

The adhesion process of these regions to Russia, though, might take some time as it requires the approval of president Putin and the Russian Parliament. Nonetheless, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said last Friday he was convinced the necessary steps will be taken fast enough.

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