On October 5, at a briefing in the Kremlin, the press secretary of the President of Russia, Dmytro Peskov, commented on the retreat of Russian troops from captured Ukrainian territories, which the Russian Federation had already "annexed". This is reported by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
Journalists asked Peskov whether there is a contradiction between Putin's statement during the "annexation ceremony" that the illegally "annexed" territories are now "with Russia forever" and the fact that the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue the counteroffensive, pushing out the occupiers.
"There is no contradiction here, they will be with Russia forever, they will be returned," Peskov said.
He explained that the Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions of Ukraine "became part of Russia" within the boundaries in which the military-civilian administration of the occupiers operated "at the time of adoption."
"But I repeat once again, certain territories will be returned there. And we will continue to consult with the population that shows a desire to live with Russia," he tried to explain.