Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that residents of Russia-held regions in southern and eastern Ukraine expressed their desire to be part of Russia in recent local elections.

Moscow announced that it had annexed the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions on September 30, 2022, after what was denounced by Kyiv and Western countries as "sham" and meaningless referendums conducted illegally and with massive coercion of voters.

Putin argues that Russia's invasion of Ukraine saved people from nationalist leaders in Kyiv who unleashed a "full-scale civil war." 

Russia launched a full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022. Russian forces do not entirely control any of the regions Putin claims were annexed and part of Russia. 

In June, Ukrainian forces launched a counteroffensive to retake southern and eastern areas held by Moscow.

sdi/sms (AFP, Reuters, AP, dpa)