Russia may have announced the annexation of these areas after the success of its military invasion, but there is no evidence to the contrary, at least with regard to what the Ukrainian forces, which announced their recapture of limited areas of those that Russia announced that it had annexed, mean the opposite.
By the same logic, it cannot be said that the Ukrainian forces have recaptured those provinces, especially since Russia had announced a referendum in those regions to find out the opinion of the residents. I know that this may have been done in a fictitious form, but it actually happened, which means Russia's seizure of the vital centers in those provinces.
What "vital centers"? Just look at the map and see the regions LTU_btc is talking about. Running a "referendum" and announcing an annexation doesn't make the territories belong to Russia. It's a stupid ploy so that they can now say "Russian territory" is under attack. It doesn't make the military activities any more successful. Russians are hastily leaving Kherson, which was the only major city they captured this year other than the nearly-destroyed Mariupol.
I am trying to read the events based on the information published by the media, which cannot be completely trusted, since it will always belong to one of the parties to the conflict.
Unfortunately, Ukraine does not have an air defense system, and its forces on the ground lack sufficient support and experience. This makes it hard to believe that the Ukrainian army is making any progress on the battlefield.
I agree with you that holding the referendum is a fictitious thing to give an illusory legitimacy to colonialism, but this proves that the armies have actually controlled the aspects of life in those regions.