In Moscow, a Kremlin official was today unable to answer a question about the exact borders of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - two of the four Ukrainian regions that Russia intends to annex later.

Referring to the annexation of Crimea eight years ago, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "The Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics are recognised by Russia within 2014 borders."

Asked about the territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - the latter of which is not under complete Russian control - Peskov seemed less certain.

"I need to clarify this, I can't answer this question right now," the AFP news agency quotes him as saying.

The multiple annexations are due to be formalised at 13:00 BST at a so-called signing ceremony.

Image source, Reuters

If you are just joining us, here is a round-up of what's going on.

• At least 23 civilians have been killed and dozens injured in Zaporizhzhia in a Russian strike on a civilian convoy
• Putin is due to hold a planned signing ceremony, where he will annex four Ukrainian regions, at about 1300 BST
• He will make a major speech and a concert is being held in Moscow's Red Square this evening
• The annexation of these four Ukrainian areas takes place after self-styled referendums which were condemned by Ukraine and the West as a sham

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The annexation of occupied Ukrainian areas is "pure Alice in Wonderland", says a former British ambassador to Russia.

Sir Roderic Lyne said Putin's plans to formally annex four Ukrainian regions were "farcical, but also tragic".

He compared the president's actions to the scene in Alice in Wonderland when she sees a grin without a cat, when looking at the Cheshire cat.

"What we're having today is Putin announcing annexation without the territory."

Speaking to BBC News, Sir Roderic said Putin's speech and celebration concert expected later is to "mask a series of defeats" - referring to the territories and military Russia has lost.

He predicted that the president's speech would be in "very triumphant terms, with a certain amount of menace and threat".

Image source, Reuters

Stages, banners and screens are being put up near Red Square ahead of major concert planned for Friday evening.

There have been reports that people are paid to attend the celebration event in central Moscow.

Image source, Reuters

Will Vernon
BBC News, Moscow

The mood on Russian state TV this morning is upbeat, despite all the international criticism of Russia’s plans to annex four occupied areas of Ukraine.

The Rossiya-24 channel is displaying its countdown timer on screen ahead of the grand ceremony in the Kremlin today. It is a traditional sight on pro-Kremlin television ahead of keynote events involving President Putin.

"Celebrations" were shown, allegedly in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, which has been under control of pro-Russian forces since 2014.

On another channel, the presenter gushed about "a new historic period – together with Russia" beginning for many Ukrainians.

But out on the streets of Moscow, the mood was less buoyant. Many people I stopped to speak to seemed worried and afraid.

A man called Andrei seemed shocked. "Why is someone taking territory in the 21st century?"

I asked Andrei what he thought of the Kremlin’s claim – that the overwhelming majority of Russians support the so-called ‘special operation.’

"The older generation supports it," said Andrei. "They think we should just bomb everyone. Almost all of the younger generation is against it."

Nadezhda, a pensioner, told me she supports Vladimir Putin’s land grab: “I am very positive about it. Firstly, this is our land, Russian land. In Ukraine, Nazis have seized power. We need to eradicate them.”

The allegation that ‘Nazis’ are dominant in Ukraine is a false narrative of Kremlin propaganda.

Volodymyr Zelensky’s spokesperson Sergii Nykyforov said on Facebook yesterday that Ukraine’s president has called an emergency meeting of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine ahead of Vladimir Putin’s signing of decrees annexing four Ukrainian territories.

On Thursday night, Zelensky’s advisor Mikhailo Podolyak called today’s ceremony a "Kremlin freak show".

In a tweet, external, he said the ceremony does not make any legal sense.

Turning back to the annexation of occupied Ukrainian areas now, and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that this plan would mark a "dangerous escalation" that would jeopardize the prospects for peace in the region.

"Any decision to proceed with the annexation of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine would have no legal value and deserves to be condemned," said Guterres, adding that the referendums “cannot be called a genuine expression of the popular will," he said.

"The Russian Federation, as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, shares a particular responsibility to respect the Charter," Guterres added.

Image source, Reuters

A civilian convoy was hit as people were preparing to travel to the Russian-occupied part of the region to pick up their relatives and also deliver humanitarian aid.

The BBC spoke to Kateryna Holoborod, sat on her suitcase in a state of shock.

"We arrived in a line, to join a column going towards Kherson," she says.

"We got out to see what number we had in the queue. Then the first rocket hit, behind the wagons.

"It was very scary. I then got up to see what happened, help the injured. I tried to help an injured young man when the third explosion happened."

Read more here.

Ukraine's president says Russia has fired rockets in the Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv Oblast, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Volodymir Zelensky claims 16 rockets were fired just in Zaporizhzhia in one morning.

He did not say if there were any casualties, but local officials say at least 23 people were killed and dozens more injured in Zaporizhzhia.

In a Telegram post, he adds: "Only complete terrorists can do this, who should have no place in the civilized world."

Image source, Reuters

Liz Truss has issued a statement accusing Putin of breaching international law, as the Russian president plans to formally annex four Ukrainian regions.

She says: "The UK will never ignore the sovereign will of those people and we will never accept the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as anything other than Ukrainian territory.

"Putin cannot be allowed to alter international borders using brute force. We will ensure he loses this illegal war."

Image source, Re

At least 23 people have been killed and 28 were wounded after a missile hit a civilian convoy of cars in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine.

A huge crater next to a row of vehicles in the city of Zaporizhzhia testifies to the violence of the attack. Windows and windscreens have been smashed in.

The BBC saw half a dozen bodies lying at the scene, apparently civilians. Baggage and coats strewed the tarmac.

A Russian-installed local official blamed Ukraine for Friday's attack.

The convoy was hit in the early hours of Friday as people were preparing to travel to the Russian-occupied part of the region to pick up their relatives and also deliver humanitarian aid.

"The enemy launched a rocket attack on the outskirts of the regional centre," Zaporizhzhia regional head Oleksandr Starukh said in a post on social media, describing it as "another terrorist act" by Russia.

US President Jo Biden has sent a stark warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is due to declare on Friday that four occupied Ukrainian regions will join Russia.

The Kremlin claims Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson backed annexation in five-day referendums - even though these so-called votes have been called a scam outside of Russia.

"The United States, I want to be very clear about this, will never, never, never recognise Russia's claims on Ukraine sovereign territory," Biden says.

The US will also impose new sanctions on Russia as a result of the annexation.

Read the full story here.

James Waterhouse
Reporting from Zaporizhzhia

Every day, convoys of people arrive in a supermarket car park in Zaporizhzhia city, escorted in by police vehicles.

They've made the hazardous trip out of Russian-occupied territory in southern Ukraine, finally reaching the relative safety of this regional capital still firmly under Ukrainian control.

And yet this is one of four Ukrainian regions that Russia is formally annexing, after a five-day exercise it called a referendum and Ukraine and the West condemned as a sham.

Among those handing their papers to police is Anton Osenev, who says the Russians tried to mobilise him twice to fight against his own country, around his home city of Melitopol.

"We weren't home for the first attempt," he says. "On the second occasion they stayed at our house for some time".

Read more here.

Image source, .

At 15:00 (13:00 BST), Vladimir Putin will hold a signing ceremony to annex four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine – Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, and Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south – following self-styled referendums condemned by Ukraine and the West as a sham.

The ceremony will take place in the Kremlin in the presence of MPs, senators, and the leaders of the four regions.

Then, in the evening, a celebration and concert will take place near Red Square in central Moscow. There have been reports that people are being paid to attend the event.

At a similar event after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Putin appeared on stage and addressed the crowd.

Hugo Bachega
Reporting from Kyiv

Ukraine says its plans remain unchanged: the offensive to recapture all territory that is now in Russian hands continues.

Officials here say the annexation doesn’t have any legitimacy, and is Moscow's reaction to recent defeats on the battlefield. But the announcement is likely to lead to an escalation in this war.

The Kremlin may say that any attack on those areas will be seen as an attack on Russian land. Russian forces control most of Luhansk and Kherson regions, but only parts of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia.

Western countries say they will not recognise any Russian declaration and have threatened to impose more sanctions.

In his evening address, President Zelensky urged Russians to stop President Putin before the violence and chaos unleashed in occupied areas spreads to Russia itself.

President Vladimir Putin is preparing to hold a signing ceremony today, as Russia annexes four more areas of Ukraine.

The so-called referendums – condemned by Ukraine and the West as a sham - were held in Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, and in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in the south.

Putin will make a speech at the ceremony at 15:00 Moscow time (13:00 BST).

Today's events echo Russia's annexation of Crimea back in 2014, which also followed a discredited vote and was heralded by a victory speech.

Stick with us as we bring you updates on the latest developments.