Editing Political divisions of Russia (section)

===Status of the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia===
On 18 March 2014, as a part of the [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|annexation of Crimea]] and following the establishment of the [[Republic of Crimea (Russia)|Republic of Crimea]] (an independent entity that was recognized only by Russia), a treaty was signed between Russia and the Republic of Crimea incorporating the Republic of Crimea and the City of [[Sevastopol]] as constituent members of the Russian Federation.<ref name="Treaty">Kremlin.ru. [http://kremlin.ru/news/20605 "Договор между Российской Федерацией и Республикой Крым о принятии в Российскую Федерацию Республики Крым и образовании в составе Российской Федерации новых субъектов"] ("Treaty Between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on Ascension to the Russian Federation of the Republic of Crimea and on Establishment of New Subjects Within the Russian Federation") {{in lang|ru}}</ref> According to the Treaty, the Republic of Crimea is accepted as a federal subject with the status of a [[republics of Russia|republic]] while the City of Sevastopol has received [[federal cities of Russia|federal city]] status.<ref name="Treaty" /> Neither the Republic of Crimea nor the city of Sevastopol are politically recognized as parts of Russia by [[political status of Crimea|most countries]].<ref name="Reuters">[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSBREA1Q1E820140318 "Putin signs Crimea treaty, will not seize other Ukraine regions"], Reuters, 18 March 2014.</ref>

Similarly, Russia also [[Russian annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts|annexed four Ukrainian oblasts]] of [[Donetsk Oblast|Donetsk]], [[Kherson Oblast|Kherson]], [[Luhansk Oblast|Luhansk]], and [[Zaporizhzhia Oblast|Zaporozhzhia]] on 30 September 2022 after [[2022 annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine|internationally-unrecognized referendums]] held days prior, during the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|invasion of Ukraine]] that began in late February, which were organized by Russian occupation authorities in territories where hostilities were ongoing and much of the population had fled.<ref name="Walker 2022 Guardian">{{cite web |last=Walker |first=Shaun |date=23 September 2022 |title='Referendums' on joining Russia under way in occupied Ukraine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/23/occupied-parts-of-ukraine-prepare-to-vote-on-joining-russia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930191608/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/23/occupied-parts-of-ukraine-prepare-to-vote-on-joining-russia |archive-date=30 September 2022 |access-date=24 September 2022 |website=the Guardian |quote=So-called "referendums" are under way in areas of Ukraine occupied by Russian troops, with residents told to vote on proposals for the four Ukrainian regions to declare independence and then join Russia.}}</ref> It occurred seven months after the start of the invasion and less than a month after the start of the [[2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive|Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive]]. The signing ceremony was held in the [[Grand Kremlin Palace]] in [[Moscow]] in the presence of occupation authority heads [[Leonid Pasechnik]], [[Denis Pushilin]], [[Yevgeny Balitsky]], and [[Volodymyr Saldo|Vladimir Saldo]], and Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]]. Like Crimea, none of the four occupied regions are internationally recognized as part of Russia.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Trevelyan |first1=Mark |date=30 September 2022 |title=Putin declares annexation of Ukrainian lands in Kremlin ceremony |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-declare-annexation-ukrainian-lands-major-escalation-war-2022-09-29/ |access-date=30 September 2022 |archive-date=30 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930191608/https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-declare-annexation-ukrainian-lands-major-escalation-war-2022-09-29/ |url-status=live }}</ref>