“The people of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia become our citizens forever”said Vladimir Putin, adding that the people had voted ” unequivocal “ for “a common future”. “Four New Russian Regions” will be thus formed, he said, before signing documents formalizing the annexation alongside the four representatives of the territories who came to Moscow. We will defend these lands “with all our strength and by all means”he hammered, speaking of a fight “for the Great Historic Russia” in front of “Western hegemony” and at “neocolonial model”.
More than 15% of Ukrainian territory thus falls under the administrative control of Moscow, after Crimea in 2014 (i.e. around 18% in total). Moscow reportedly claims around 109,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, but some areas are not occupied by the Russian military. While Russia controls almost all of Luhansk, its forces occupy only about 60% of Donetsk Oblast. Asked what would happen to areas that are not currently under Russian control, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said on Friday before Vladimir Putin’s speech: “They must be freed. » Ukrainian forces set out to encircle the Russian stronghold of Lyman in the northern Donetsk region.
You can refer to the map below to see which parts are controlled by the Russians.