DISINFO: There is no such thing as occupied Ukrainian territories
SUMMARY
Russia does not occupy any Ukrainian territories. Contrary to what Kyiv and the West say, these are Russian regions which joined the Russian Federation following the legitimate expression of the will of the people.
RESPONSE
The claim is part of an ongoing pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign concerning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine has been under continuous Russian occupation since 2014. In February that year, Russia invaded and illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. In autumn 2022, it used sham referenda in an attempt to annex the above-mentioned oblasts, as well as the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhia and Kherson.
These so-called referenda, which are in a clear violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, were held illegally, under duress, and on territories which Russia only has partial military control over. The results of these sham polls have been universally rejected by leading international and human rights organisations, including the United Nations, the OSCE, NATO, as well as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
See similar cases: Ukrainian referenda on joining Russia were not falsified, unlike the 2020 US presidential election; Four Ukrainian regions voted to join Russia in referendums; Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not about capturing new territory; The 2022 referendums to join Russia confirmed the wish of the population to live in peace.