Putin says Ukraine's annexed regions will be 'stabilized'

STORY: He made the remarks during a televised meeting with teachers, stating that Russia has "great respect" for the Ukrainian people, despite what he called "the current situation".

Referring to the four partly Russian-controlled Ukrainian regions that he declared Russian territory on September 30, Putin said he expected the situation there to "stabilize".

Russian forces have suffered significant losses in two of the four regions since Friday, when Putin signed treaties to incorporate them into Russia after what it called referendums - exercises that Ukraine and the West denounced as coercive and illegal.