Original Russian-language document. Treaty signed in Moscow on 30 September 2022 between the Russian Federation, represented by Vladimir Putin, and Kherson Oblast, represented by the head of the occupation administration Vladimir Saldo. The treaty was signed at a ceremony in the Grand Kremlin Palace alongside equivalent treaties for the Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, and Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The treaty is not recognised as valid by Ukraine, the United Nations General Assembly, the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, or the overwhelming majority of the international community.
The Treaty on the Accession of Kherson Oblast to the Russian Federation was signed on 30 September 2022, one of four annexation treaties signed that day purporting to incorporate Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts into the Russian Federation. The treaty follows the structural model of the 2014 Crimea annexation treaty, establishing Kherson Oblast as a new "subject of the Russian Federation" and providing for a transition period during which residents are to be offered Russian citizenship, existing Ukrainian legal instruments are to be brought into conformity with Russian federal law, and existing property rights are to be converted into their Russian equivalents. The treaty invokes "the expression of the will of the peoples" through referendums held on 23–27 September 2022, which were condemned by international observers as lacking legal validity and not meeting basic democratic standards. Kherson city was recaptured by Ukrainian forces on 11 November 2022, six weeks after the treaty was signed. At the time of writing, Russia controls approximately 70 per cent of Kherson Oblast. The annexation treaty does not distinguish between Russian-controlled and Ukrainian-controlled parts of the oblast: Russia claims the entirety. The Russian Federal Assembly ratified the treaty by federal constitutional law (see DOC-113) on 4 October 2022.
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Treaty on the Accession of Kherson Oblast to the Russian Federation
The Russian Federation and Kherson Oblast, hereinafter referred to as the Parties, proceeding from the results of the referendum held in Kherson Oblast on 23–27 September 2022, guided by the generally recognised principles and norms of international law...
Article 1 — Accession
Kherson Oblast is accepted into the Russian Federation and established as a new subject of the Russian Federation — Kherson Oblast.
Article 2 — Status
From the date of accession, Kherson Oblast shall be a subject of the Russian Federation (federal subject) with the status of an oblast, with federal districts, courts, and law enforcement of the Russian Federation extending to its territory.
Article 3 — Citizenship
Citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons permanently residing in Kherson Oblast shall be recognised as citizens of the Russian Federation from the date of accession, unless, within one month of the entry into force of this Treaty, they declare their intention to retain their existing citizenship or remain stateless. The procedure for such declaration shall be established by federal law.
Article 4 — Legal transition
Legal acts of Ukraine in force in Kherson Oblast shall continue to apply temporarily until brought into conformity with the Constitution and laws of the Russian Federation, unless they are contrary to the Constitution or laws of the Russian Federation.
Article 5 — Entry into force
This Treaty enters into force from the date of its ratification by the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
International legal status
On 12 October 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution ES-11/4 by 143 votes to 5, declaring the referendums null and void and calling on all states not to recognise any changes to Ukraine's borders. Ukraine's territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders (including Kherson Oblast in its entirety) is upheld by the overwhelming majority of the international community. This document is presented as a primary source for research purposes; its reproduction does not imply any recognition of its legal validity.