Some of Russia's closest allies abstained at the UN rather than support its claim to have annexed parts of Ukraine

Some of Russia's allies abstained from a UN vote to condemn Russia over its annexation of Ukraine, leaving just four countries to support the country.

Four countries joined Russia in voting against a resolution at the UN General Assembly condemning Russia's annexation and demanding it return the territories.

A majority of nations voted in favor of condemning Russia's annexation.

Collective Security Treaty Organization, a post-Soviet security bloc dominated by Russia, was one of the abstentions.

Four of its members did not vote. They are the final two members.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine pushed them further away from Russia, according to experts.

According to Paul Stronski, an expert on Russia's relations with Central Asia at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, there is growing tension between the Kremlin and the local elites.

Russia wanted to make Wednesday's vote a secret so that they wouldn't know which nations voted with them. UN members wanted the vote to be public.

The General Assembly's resolutions are symbolic and won't lead to action in Ukraine.

Despite global opposition, Russia annexed the regions.

After conducting referendums in the four regions, it did so again.

Russia does not control the entire of any of the four regions and has been losing territory to the Ukrainians.