Russia’s legislature on Monday began the process of approving President Vladimir Putin’s decision to annex four parts of Ukraine, despite the fact that the Kremlin is not in full control of those regions and has not settled upon the exact boundaries of the territories it is attempting to absorb.

Legislative approval of the annexation, which is illegal under international law, is expected to be a formality, although it will take a couple of days. Putin and his allies effectively control both branches of the Russian legislature, and the space for political dissent in Russia has shrunk in recent years.

But the maneuverings inside the ornate halls of the Kremlin stand in stark contrast to the facts on the ground in the battlefields of eastern Ukraine.

Russian forces have suffered a series of surprising defeats in eastern Ukraine, forcing them to retreat and abandon several positions in areas the Kremlin declares it is annexing. Much of the territory Moscow claims as its own in Donetsk region is under the control of Ukrainian forces, and the Kremlin appears unsure of the exact borders of the regions it plans to annex. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow needed to “continue consulting” with the local populations before establishing its borders.

Russia claims to annex Ukrainian land it doesn't fully control

On Friday, the Kremlin announced annexation of four Ukrainian regions that its military only partially controls, adding to its claimed seizure of Crimea in 2014.

On Friday, the Kremlin announced annexation of four Ukrainian regions, of which it has only partial control, adding to the seizure of Crimea in 2014.

Land

 controlled by Russia

Land

 controlled by Ukraine

Donetsk region

56.8%

43.2%

Zaporizhzhia region

71.5%

28.5%

Kherson region

82.5%

Luhansk region

99.7

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that the country had taken back Lyman, while the Ukrainian military said it had recaptured the nearby villages of Drobysheve and Torske, putting Kyiv in a better position as it seeks to take back the Luhansk region.

Pro-Russian officials said Monday that Ukrainian forces had pushed into the Luhansk region, nearly all of which is under the control of Russia or Russian-aligned forces. Ukrainian forces liberated the Luhansk village of Bilohorivka at the end of September and have now gained a foothold in the direction of Lysychansk. Lysychansk was the last Ukrainian holdout in Luhansk before Kyiv withdrew its troops in July.

In a third region, Kherson, Ukrainian forces are advancing and have captured several villages and settlements, including Zolota Balka on the western bank of the Dnipro river, according to a Ukrainian regional official and a pro-Russian military blogger. On Sunday, Zelensky said Ukraine’s military had taken Arkhanhelske and Myroliubivka.