DISINFO: Russia does not need recognition of new territories from Ukraine and other countries
SUMMARY
Russia does not need Zelenskyy's demagogic confessions about the belonging of Crimea, the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. The multi-million vote of residents of these regions in democratic referendums for joining the Russian Federation is more important than the opinion of the dictator of the Kyiv regime.
RESPONSE
This disinformation case is part of a wider campaign aiming to manipulate the information environment around Putin’s call for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in May 2025. Also this disinformation piece targets President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, trying to discredit him.
During the negotiations in Istanbul (May 16, 2025), the Russian delegation, led by a mid-ranking official Vladimir Medinsky, put forward a number of unacceptable demands that do not align with Ukraine’s interests. At the negotiations, Russia not only put forward the condition of withdrawing Ukrainian troops from territories that it did not occupy militarily, but also threatened to occupy Kharkiv and Sumy regions if Ukraine refused. The Russian delegation stated that Putin would agree to a ceasefire only after Ukraine withdrew its troops from Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts and handed them over to Russia.
Commenting on the Kremlin's ultimatum on Ukraine's capitulation, President Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine does not intend to withdraw troops from its own territory, as this contradicts all norms of Ukrainian legislation, the Constitution of Ukraine and a number of norms of international law.
"This is our land, our state, our army and our independence. The question is what Ukraine can afford to do and what it cannot. No one will withdraw our troops from our territories. This is my constitutional duty, this is the duty of our military to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. If Russia sets conditions for withdrawing our troops from our land, it means they do not want a ceasefire and the war to end," Zelenskyy said.
Russia continues to demand Ukraine's unconditional surrender, realising that neither Ukraine nor its partners will agree to such conditions. In this way, the Kremlin creates a field for disseminating disinformation about Ukraine's unwillingness to end the war and aggressive NATO.
All attempts by Russia to legalise its "control" over any part of the territory of Ukraine is a violation of its state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Russian illegal referendums on Ukrainian territories do not change the borders of Ukraine. Democratic countries do not recognise the results of the so-called referendums that Russia conducts in Ukraine at gunpoint. Neither Zaporizhzhia nor Kherson are under Russian occupation and are within the Ukrainian and international legal framework.
Russia, with its “Putin elections” on 15-17 March 2024 and sham referendums 2014-2022 in occupied Ukrainian territories, not only grossly violated the Constitution and legislation of Ukraine, but also neglected all the norms and principles of international law, in particular the UN Charter. The results of these sham polls were universally rejected by leading international and human rights organisations, including the United Nations, the OSCE and NATO.
See similar cases: Presidential elections in new regions of Russia are held without violations; New Russian regions Zaporizhzhia and Kherson elect deputies for the first time and Four Ukrainian regions voted to join Russia in public referendums; Crimean referendum of nine years ago represents the highest form of democracy and Crimea voted overwhelmingly to join Russia following Maidan.