The United Nations General Assembly, on Wednesday October 12, voted to condemn Russia’s "attempted illegal annexation” of four partially occupied regions in Ukraine, urging member states not to recognise the move.

143 countries, including Rwanda, out of the 193- countries body backed the resolution, in a move that seemingly reaffirmed the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders.

"It’s amazing,” Ukraine’s UN Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya told the media after the vote.

Only five countries including Russia voted against the resolution, while a total of 35 countries abstained from the vote.

The rest didn’t vote, the UN said.

Russia’s government, in September, proclaimed its annexation of four partially occupied regions in Ukraine – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia – after staging what it called referendums.

Ukraine and its allies have denounced the votes as illegal and coercive.

The vote is the strongest disparage to Russia from the General Assembly of the four resolutions it has approved since the Russia-Ukraine crisis began on February 24.

For Russia’s UN Ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, the resolution was "politicised and openly provocative,”, and that it "could destroy any and all efforts in favour of a diplomatic solution to the crisis.”