MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/. New territories became a part of Russia as a result of referendums and Moscow’s efforts to protect their residents, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed out.
When commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remark that the special military operation had already produced significant results as, for instance, "new territories joined" Russia, Peskov said: "The president announced on February 24 that protecting the people living in southeastern Ukraine, in Donbass, was one of the main goals of the special military operation." "These territories emerged as part of efforts to protect these people and were accepted [into Russia] as a result of the referendums held there," the Kremlin spokesman noted in response to a question asking whether gaining new lands was one of the special military operation’s goals.
When speaking about the possibility that more regions could be accepted into the country, Peskov noted: "There are no such plans." "At least, there have been no such statements but anyway, there is a lot to do to liberate the territories," he stressed. The Kremlin spokesman explained that certain parts of Russia’s new regions were occupied by Ukrainian forces and needed to be liberated.
At the same time, Peskov emphasized that the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine remained among the main goals of Russia’s special military operation.