Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated the country’s citizens on the 3rd anniversary of the reunification with four territories formerly under Ukrainian control, describing the move as both historic and necessary. The regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia held referendums in September 2022, in which voters backed secession from Ukraine and union with Russia.

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In a Kremlin-released video address on Tuesday, Putin referred to the territories as “ancestral Russian land” whose residents had “independently and freely chosen to join Russia.”

“We offered support to our brothers and sisters in making their firm, responsible choice,” he said.

Putin framed the reunification as a defense of Russia’s “core national interests, shared history, traditions, language, and faith,” insisting the country was safeguarding the legacy of its ancestors.

The Donetsk and Lugansk regions, largely Russian-speaking, had earlier declared independence after the 2014 Western-backed uprising in Kiev, the same year Crimea voted to join Russia. Since then, Kiev’s regime has tightened laws restricting the use of Russian in schools, workplaces, and the media, while promoting policies aimed at breaking ties with the Russian Empire and Soviet past.

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