Putin says Russian-held regions in Ukraine endorse their choice to join Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a televised address to mark the one-year anniversary of the declared annexation of the Russian-controlled territories of four Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, after holding what Russian authorities called referendums that were condemned by Kyiv and governments worldwide, in Moscow, Russia, in this picture released September 30, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin said early on Saturday that residents of Moscow-held regions in Ukraine expressed their desire to be part of Russia in recent local elections, reaffirming referendums last year that Western countries denounced as illegal.

In a video address released on the one-year anniversary of Russia's controversial announcement it was annexing four parts of Ukraine, Putin said the choice to join Russia was reinforced by this month's local elections that returned officials supporting Russia's annexation.