Russian President Vladimir Putin early on Saturday asserted that residents of areas controlled by Moscow in Ukraine expressed their desire to be part of Russia in recent local elections, reaffirming the referendums conducted last year that were condemned by Western countries as illegal. In a video address on the anniversary of Russia's controversial announcement of the annexation of four parts of Ukraine, Putin stated that the option to join Russia was reinforced by this month's local elections, which re-elected officials supportive of joining Russia.
He added, "Just as it happened a year ago in the historic referendums, the people expressed and reaffirmed their wish to be with Russia and supported their fellow citizens who proved, through their work and real actions, that they deserve the trust of the people."
Putin repeated his stance that the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 saved people from the nationalist leaders in Kyiv who unleashed "a widespread civil war" and "terror against those who think differently."
On September 30, 2022, parts of four Ukrainian regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia—were officially annexed by Russia following referendums that Moscow claimed resulted in an overwhelming majority in favor. Western countries rejected the outcomes as meaningless and illegal, supported by the mass intimidation of voters. Russian forces do not fully control any of these regions. Ukrainian forces, aided by Western weapons, withstood initial Russian attempts to advance towards Kyiv, shifting the war to the areas controlled by Russia in the east and south. Ukrainian troops launched a counter-offensive in June to reclaim those regions.
