The State Duma adopted the federal law on October 3, 2022, and the Federation Council approved it on October 4, 2022.
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The federal law ratifies the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Lugansk People’s Republic on the Accession of the Lugansk People’s Republic to the Russian Federation and the Establishment of a New Constituent Entity of the Russian Federation, signed in Moscow on September 30, 2022.
The treaty is based on a free and voluntary expression of will by the people of the Lugansk People’s Republic in a referendum held on September 27, 2022, during which the people of the Lugansk People’s Republic voted to reunite with Russia as a constituent entity of the Russian Federation.
Under the treaty, the Lugansk People’s Republic becomes part of the Russian Federation from the date of the signing of the treaty. As of the day of the accession of the Lugansk People’s Republic to the Russian Federation, a new constituent entity – the Lugansk People’s Republic – shall be established within the Russian Federation.
The treaty includes a preamble and nine articles setting forth provisions relating to the accession of the Lugansk People’s Republic to the Russian Federation and establishing a new constituent entity of the Russian Federation, including provisions on citizenship, borders and government institutions in the new constituent entity of the Russian Federation.
Under the treaty, there will be a transitional period starting from the day of accession of the Lugansk People’s Republic to the Russian Federation and the establishment of a new constituent entity of the Russian Federation and until January 1, 2026. It is designed to resolve matters related to integrating the Lugansk People’s Republic into the economic, financial, lending and legal systems of the Russian Federation, and into the governance framework of the Russian Federation, as well as settling matters related to military service and serving in the military on the territory of the Lugansk People’s Republic.
The Russian Federation’s laws and other regulations shall apply in the Lugansk People’s Republic as of the accession of the Lugansk People’s Republic to the Russian Federation and the establishment of a new constituent entity of the Russian Federation, unless the laws of the Russian Federation state otherwise.
The laws and regulations of the Lugansk People’s Republic shall apply on the territory of the Lugansk People’s Republic throughout the transitional period or until the Russian Federation and/or the Lugansk People’s Republic adopt the corresponding law or regulation.
Under the treaty, the laws and regulations of the Lugansk People’s Republic that do not comply with the Constitution of the Russian Federation shall not apply.