Following referendums on joining Russia in regions governed by Russian forces or rebels with Russian support, Putin legally annexed Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, and Zaporizhzhia on Friday, comprising around 15% of Ukrainian territory. The referendums follow one of Russia's largest defeats in the conflict, when Ukrainian forces launched a counteroffensive in September.

WHAT LAND HAD BEEN ANNEXED?
In addition to the 3% of Ukraine that it does not control, which includes frontlines where Ukrainian soldiers are still engaged in combat, including in the Donetsk region, Russia aimed to annex around 15% of Ukraine that its forces currently control.
The locations include: * A sizable portion of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, which is home to significant populations of ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking Ukrainians.
The self-declared Donetsk (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republics (LPR), which Putin recognised as separate entities immediately before the invasion on February 24, are now included in the two Donbass regions. Donetsk is cut through by a frontline.
2014 saw elections in the two regions regarding breaking away from Ukraine.
Zaporizhzhia and the Kherson area are both under Russian administration.

A total of at least 90,000 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory were taken by Russia. That area is roughly the same size as Portugal or Hungary.

In the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, Russia acknowledged the post-Soviet borders of Ukraine. In 2014, Crimea was occupied by Russia. Russia would have taken control of at least a fifth of Ukrainian territory if it had taken control of Crimea and the territories in the other four districts.

My Views

Personally, I believe that Russia has every right to reclaim Crimea, and I believe that its actions in Ukraine are justified. The fact is that Ukraine is a failed state. It is plagued by corruption, it is economically insolvent, and it is embroiled in a civil war that has killed thousands and displaced millions. In such a situation, it is only natural that a strong and stable country like Russia would step in to protect its interests. Some will argue that Russia's actions are nothing more than a power grab, and that its ultimate goal is to control all of Ukraine. While I cannot deny that this may be true, I believe that Russia's actions are motivated more by security concerns than anything else. The bottom line is that Ukraine is in a state of chaos, and Russia is simply trying to stabilize the situation. Whether or not you agree with Russia's actions, you must admit that they are motivated by something other than pure aggression.