After Moscow claimed to have annexed the territory, Ukraine announced on Thursday that its troops had reclaimed more than 400 square kilometres (155 square miles) in the southern province of Kherson in less than a week.
Since the beginning of October, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have freed more than 400 square kilometres of the Kherson area, according to Natalia Gumeniuk, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian southern army command.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin officially annexed more than 15% of Ukraine.
Putin signed laws admitting the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR), the Kherson area, and the Zaporizhzhia region into Russia, marking the largest increase of Russian territory in at least fifty years.
After holding what it referred to as referendums in Ukraine’s seized regions, Russia announced the annexations. The ballots, according to Western nations and Kiev, violated international law and were coerced and unrepresentative.
Not all of the territories being annexed are under Russian military control. Though the precise limits have not yet been determined, Russia’s overall claim covers around 18% of Ukrainian land.
