Putin ordered a “large-scale military operation” in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin warned that any interference in his operation on Ukrainian soil will lead to consequences "never seen before".
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a military operation in the eastern region of Ukraine, as protection for Russians who have been victims of "abuses and genocide" by the Ukrainian government for almost a decade.
Through a televised address broadcast to the nation, Putin assured that the independent republics of Donbass requested help from Russia, based on that request, he made the decision to start the movement of troops into Ukraine.
According to the statements of the Kremlin leader, the main mission is to demilitarize and "denazify" the entire Ukrainian territory, in addition to bringing to justice those who have committed crimes against civilians.
Putin clarified that it is not within Moscow's plans to occupy territories, but to support Ukrainian citizens for their self-determination, "we are not going to force anything on anyone," he said.
On the other hand, the Russian president called on the Ukrainian armed forces to lower their weapons and return to their homes.
Putin sends warning to the West
In turn, Putin highlighted the right of countries to self-determination, arguing that, neither when the Soviet Union was created, nor at the end of World War II, modern Ukrainians were consulted on how they wanted to live, "freedom is the basis of our policy," he said.
Putin extended the call to Ukrainian citizens throughout the country of "present-day Ukraine" to assert their right to determination. Last Monday, the Russian president declared the independence of the breakaway regions of Lugansk and Donetsk.
At the end, with a decisive warning to the West, he announced that in the military field, Russia is one of the strongest nuclear powers in the world.
For Putin, everyone who stands in the way of his goals will be "devastated and defeated" thanks to the arsenal of state-of-the-art weapons.
Invasion throughout the territory
Dimitro Kuleba, Ukraine's foreign minister, confirmed on Thursday that Russia had ordered a military operation to invade all Ukrainian territory "on a large scale." In addition, he made a worldwide call to stop Vladimir Putin.
In the early morning hours, detonations and shelling were reported in different cities of the country, including Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.
The Ministry of the Interior has reported that at that time of the conflict, at least eight dead and nine wounded were already reported after the Russian bombings throughout the country.