Kyiv: The illegal occupation of four regions of Ukraine by Russia has been completed with the signing of laws by Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Wednesday morning, the documents were posted on a website run by the Russian government.

The Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions are now officially part of Russia, thanks to treaties that were ratified by both houses of the Russian parliament earlier this week. The formalities came after a "referendum" organized by the Kremlin in four regions, which Ukraine and the West dismissed as fraud.

Also Read: Putin signs law to merge 4 Ukrainian territories with Russia

The action coincides with the beginning of a new, risky phase in the Battle of Moscow in Ukraine. With Ukrainian forces taking back more and more territory to the east and south, which are the very areas Moscow has pushed to capture, Russia is facing increasing setbacks on the battlefield.

The Kremlin has vowed to defend Russia's territory, including recently absorbed territories, with any means at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, despite the fact that the boundaries of the areas it claims are still unknown. Huh.

In response to the merger, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a fast-track application to join NATO and formally rejected talks with Russia. Zelensky's order, made public on Tuesday, said Putin's decision to seize control of four regions of Ukraine was due to

According to regional leader Oleksiy Kuleba on Telegram, several explosions rocked the battlefield on Wednesday morning and set fire to facilities described as infrastructure in the city, south of the capital Kyiv.

According to preliminary reports, so-called "kamikaze" or suicide drones attacked the city, he said. About 80 kilometers south of Kiev is Bila Tserkva.

Also Read: Four Ukrainian regions have been annexed by Russia

In recent weeks, Russia has used suicide drones more frequently, posing a new threat to Ukrainian security. Unmanned aircraft can hover for extended periods of time before launching themselves at their targets and detonating their payloads just before impact.

Many of the earlier drone strikes by Iranian-made aircraft took place in the south of the country rather than the capital, which have not been attacked for weeks.

According to a later post by Kuleba, one of the largest city in the region after Kyiv, a total of six Martyrs—136 were hit by drones. One person was injured in the fight. Hours after the attacks were reported, he said, dozens of rescuers were still extinguishing the fire at the scene.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continued to advance south. Kyiv's army announced on Wednesday that it had recaptured more villages in the Kherson region as part of its massive counter-offensive.

Also Read:Kyiv gains on the battlefield as thousands of Russians who were mobilized are sent home

According to Operational Command South, the Ukrainian flag has been flown in the villages of Lyubimivka, Khreshchenivka, Zolota Balka, Belyavka, Ukrainka, Velika and Mala Oleksandrivka.