Kyiv's approaches to the return of Crimea after February 24 have changed, now this will be achieved by military means. This was stated by the representative of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in Crimea Tamila Tasheva on the air of Ukraine 24.

“The question of Crimea after February 24, approaches to the return of the territory have changed. We understand that in any case, we now rely primarily on our Armed Forces of Ukraine.”

She added that in the implementation of any plans for the return of Crimea, the Ukrainian military will be the first to enter its territory. The key position of Kyiv is the return of territories without any ultimatums for the Ukrainian side and the return to the 1991 borders, including Crimea and Donbass, the presidential representative specified.

Russia's takeover of Ukraine began in 2014 when it annexed the Crimean peninsula. The accession of Crimea to Russia is not recognized by most of the international community. On February 21, 2022, three days before declaring war on Ukraine, Putin recognized the independence of the so-called Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republics. This was preceded by a meeting of the Security Council, at which its members asked Putin to sign the recognition of the "LDNR". On February 22, Russia recognized the "DPR" and "LPR" within the borders of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine.

On the third month of the war, Russia announced its intention to include the occupied Kherson region into its structure. On May 6, Secretary of the General Council of United Russia Andrey Turchak visited Kherson. Speaking to local residents, he said that "Russia is here forever": "We will live together, develop this rich region, rich in historical heritage, rich in its people."