If it wants peace, Ukraine must withdraw from the occupied Russian territories, writes the pro-Kremlin press, lying that the illegally invaded and annexed Ukrainian regions belong to Russia.
NEWS: Kyiv must withdraw its troops from the occupied Russian territories, said the chairman of the Committee of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation on Sovereignty Issues and co-chairman of the Coordination Council for the Integration of New Regions, Vladimir Rogov. “If Zelensky’s regime is talking about a truce and it is not just another show on its part, then it should back up its statements with real facts and start with the withdrawal of its troops from the parts of the DPR, LPR, Kursk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions occupied by the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” Rogov said.
According to him, if the Kyiv regime believes that it is allowed to demand anything from Russia, while it continues to commit abuses in the occupied territories and on Russia's borders, it is deeply mistaken. A meeting between the US and Ukrainian delegations was held in Saudi Arabia. Following the negotiations, the Zelensky Administration published a joint statement by Kyiv and Washington, stating that Kyiv is ready to accept the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by agreement of both parties.
NARRATIVE: Ukraine is forced to withdraw its troops from the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Donetsk and Kursk regions if it truly wants peace.
PURPOSE: To render legitimate Russia's territorial claims; to undermine peace negotiations by suggesting that only the Ukrainian side must make concessions; to justify Russia's actions and discredit Ukraine and its leadership.
Reality: Four of the five regions mentioned in the text belong to Ukraine under international law. Some parts of these territories have been occupied by the Russian troops
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: Four of the territories claimed by Moscow are internationally recognized as part of Ukraine; they were partially occupied in the 2014 and 2022 invasions and subsequently annexed, but the annexation has not been recognized by most countries in the world and international organizations, including the UN. Ukraine is accused of committing abuses “in the occupied territories,” without mentioning that Russia is the one who invaded these regions and has been accused of war crimes, forced deportations, and other human rights violations.
The four Ukrainian regions were included in the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 2022, while only part of them are under the control of the Russian army.
The Kursk region, on the other hand, belongs to Russia under international law and Kyiv has no claim to it, only trying to use it as a bargaining chip in future peace negotiations. The false narrative tries to impose unilateral conditions for peace: only Ukraine must make concessions (withdrawal of troops), failing to also mention that Russia is the aggressor and that the withdrawal of the Russian troops from the occupied territories is demanded by Ukraine and its allies.
SOCIAL CONTEXT/ETHOS: On March 11, 2025, negotiations took place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between delegations from the United States and Ukraine, hosted by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Following the discussions, the two sides issued a joint statement, highlighting important steps towards restoring lasting peace in Ukraine. Kyiv accepted the American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties and is conditional on the simultaneous acceptance and implementation by the Russian Federation.
US President Donald Trump has voiced hope that Russia will accept the ceasefire proposal, calling it a significant step towards ending the conflict that began in 2022. However, the situation remains tense, with Russia launching airstrikes on Kyiv , Kharkiv and other cities shortly after Ukraine’s statement on the proposed ceasefire. At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry has stated that it is not closing the door to talks with US diplomats “in the coming days”, following the talks between the United States and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia. Maria Zakharova said that Russia will make its own decisions. “The Russian Federation’s position is not formed abroad due to agreements or efforts by some parties,” she said.
The person cited by the Russian media, Vladimir Rogov, became the chairman of the Committee of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation on Sovereignty Issues while corroding the Zaporizhzhia Regional Administration, which is a body of Russian occupation in southeastern Ukraine, not a legitimate and legal institution. Rogov is presented in the Russian media as a leader of the Ukrainians who want to be part of Russia. He fled to Moscow in 2014 after speaking out against Euromaidan, supporting the annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas, and in 2022 was brought by Russia as the Kremlin’s representative in the Zaporizhzhia region . In Ukraine, Rogov was prosecuted for collaborating with the Russian intelligence services.
The news uses Russian propaganda terminology, such as DPR and LPR (the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics), which are not internationally recognized states and later became parts of Russia. The narrative inverts reality, suggesting that Ukraine is "occupying" its own territories.
It is also worth noting that the Russian army is far from the city of Zaporizhzhia and has never come close to it, and the city of Kherson was liberated from occupation by Ukrainians in the fall of 2022.
