Kremlin: Russian forces plan to 'liberate' parts of Ukraine that Moscow annexed

The Kremlin said on Thursday that its forces are still set on seizing parts of eastern and southern Ukraine that Moscow has claimed as its own. Asked about the goals of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia still has to "liberate" parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Moscow proclaimed it had annexed those four regions of Ukraine after holding so-called referendums in September. The votes were rejected as bogus and illegal by Kyiv, the West and a majority of countries at the United Nations.