They did annex much of Ukraine, although have not been able to hold on to the annexed regions. Notably, they lost Kherson in November. However, this was probab

They did annex much of Ukraine, although have not been able to hold on to the annexed regions. Notably, they lost Kherson in November. However, this was probably a consolation prize after their decapitation strike failed, and may not have been their original plan. Russian ultra-nationalists do play up a notion of 'Novorossiya' which would include everything from Odessa to Kharkiv, however; this by now is utterly unrealistic, but Russia attempted to take both Odessa and Kharkiv early in the war. With the former, they were stopped at Mykolaiv, and with the latter they stopped short of managing to take the city itself. They also lost the parts of Kharkiv oblast (which they did not annex) they had occupied around September or so. This opens them up to counteroffensives in Luhansk oblast (which they annexed), specifically around Kreminna (where there is ongoing fighting and a reported Russian withdrawal) and Svatove.