Putin accuses “Western elites” of preparing Ukraine to attack Russia before invasion
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the “Western elites” of having prepared the Ukrainian Army to attack Russia before the start of the military campaign in Ukraine, when commemorating the unilateral and illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions in September 2022. .
In a video message on the occasion of the second anniversary of the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, the head of the Kremlin stated that Russia tried to achieve a peaceful settlement to the conflict that broke out in 2014 as a result of the “coup d’état ” in kyiv. “You already know how those negotiations ended: lies, falsifications and deceptions on the part of Western elites, who during this time turned Ukraine into their colony, into a bridgehead against Russia.”
Putin has denounced that these elites “instigated hostility towards everything Russian, supplied weapons, sent mercenaries and advisors, prepared the Ukrainian army for a new war, so that again, as in the spring and summer of 2014, it would launch punitive action in the southeast.” “Not only Donbas, but also Crimea and other regions of Russia were set as targets – he added – The subsequent development of events fully confirmed the necessity and validity of the special military operation, its truly liberating character.”
Putin has highlighted that in the “liberated territories” houses, schools, kindergartens are being built, a work in which all regions of the country participate, and has particularly highlighted the contribution of volunteers, social and religious organizations, as well as the of political parties with parliamentary representation. “I thank all the citizens of the country for this cohesion and patriotic spirit. The truth is on our side. All the set objectives will be achieved,” he concluded. (Efe).
