Not an occupation of territories? Lavrov again made a false statement regarding the reasons for the attack on Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the Kremlin "never aimed to occupy the territories of Ukraine," but is trying to "protect Russians."
The head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, stated that the Kremlin "never aimed to occupy Ukrainian territories." He made this statement in a comment to Russian "media," as reported by UNN.
Details
As Lavrov stated, Russia "never aimed to simply seize territories – be it Crimea, Donbas, Novorossiya – but sought to protect Russians."
Historical background
The name "Novorossiya" in the Russian Empire was used to refer to the southeastern regions of modern Ukraine: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, parts of Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, and Kherson, as well as Crimea. Some researchers also include Kuban in "Novorossiya." That is, it refers to the Northern Black Sea region and the Azov Sea region.
This term first appeared in 1764 as "Novorossiysk Governorate." Before that, these were territories of the Ottoman Empire (including the Crimean Khanate) and the Zaporozhian Sich.
The Zaporozhian Sich was destroyed by Russian troops by order of Empress Catherine II in 1775. The Crimean Khanate was annexed to the Russian Empire in 1783.
During Soviet times, the term "Novorossiya" gradually fell out of use – it was replaced by the term "Southern Ukraine." However, in the late 1980s, the use of this term gradually resumed in Russian-language literature. It is actively used by supporters of Russian nationalism.
In 2014, this term was publicly used by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to justify his aggression against Ukraine, including the annexation of Crimea. He stated that "according to tsarist terminology, this is Novorossiya: Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Odesa were not part of Ukraine."
Additionally
The Russian minister voiced the phrase of dictator Vladimir Putin in a slightly different form, which was heard on February 24, 2022, when the open Russian invasion of Ukraine began. At that time, Putin stated that "the plans of the Russian Federation do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories," and the Kremlin allegedly "is not going to prove anything to anyone by force."
However, the words of the Russian leadership have nothing in common with reality, as in September of the same year, 2022, the Kremlin announced the annexation of four regions of Ukraine - Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Kherson.
At that time, part of Kharkiv region was also occupied. There, the invaders also stated that "Russia is here forever."
And in June 2025, speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said that "where the foot of a Russian soldier steps, that is ours." Before that, he stated that the Azov Sea "has become an internal Russian sea."
These statements indicate only one thing: the leadership of the Russian Federation, led by Putin, is lying that it is not going to seize Ukraine.