The Russian president assures that he has no intention of declaring “martial law” in Russia because he sees “no reason for it.” He accuses Kiev of trying to become a nuclear power with the help of the US
The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has defended this Saturday as “absolutely correct” his decision to completely invade Ukraine beyond the related areas of the Donbas region, in the east of the country.
Putin has acknowledged that he contemplated a limited incursion into Donetsk and Lugansk, areas in dispute between the Ukrainian Army and the forces of the self-proclaimed republics, but the Army General Staff made him understand that a reduced operation could expose his forces to the constant resupply of Ukrainian units on the front lines.
“It was possible to assist the Donbas republics right on the contact line. In the front, as they say. It so happens that in this case, the other side had the reckless support of the West, the nationalists and the radicals. They would have received infinite support of materials, ammunition, equipment, etc. », he indicated.
That is why Putin opted instead to launch a large-scale air operation that, at this point in the incursion and according to the reports he is considering, has managed to destroy “almost all of Ukraine’s military infrastructure and air defense,” according to statements collected by the TASS agency.
“The first thing we have done has been to destroy the entire military infrastructure. Well, not all. Partially. Above all stockpiles of weapons and ammunition, aviation centers, air defense systems. The destruction is almost finished », he indicated.
Likewise, Putin has insisted that the Ukrainian forces are responsible for 14,000 deaths during eight years of conflict in Donbas against the population of the territory and the militias of the self-proclaimed republics. “It is a pity that the so-called ‘civilized West'”, he asserted, “did not want to see it”.
The Russian president has taken the opportunity to refute accusations that the Russian Army is using conscripts in the invasion – which Russia officially describes as a “special operation” -. “Not a single recruit participates in the operation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine,” he has settled.
Regarding the debate on the possible creation of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, as Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky has been insisting to NATO for days, Putin has assured that any other country that tries to close Ukrainian airspace will be declared by Moscow as “a participant in hostilities”.
nuclear ukraine
The president has accused Kiev that it is trying to obtain nuclear weapons through NATO to guarantee its security and that part of the objective of the operation is to get the Ukrainian government to turn the country into “a nuclear state” with the help of the NATO, which at that time would become “Russia’s adversary.”
Putin has insisted that the idea of a nuclear Ukraine “is not some kind of far-fetched nonsense.” According to the president, Ukraine has had nuclear powers since Soviet times. “And they are capable of organizing the process of enriching nuclear materials themselves,” he assured. “Kiev knows how to make missiles. And they will, and you will receive help from across the ocean », he added, referring to the United States.
From there, Putin has assured that Washington “will put these structures under its control, and from that moment, from that very moment, Russia’s destiny will be completely different.”
“Whoever does not want to understand my concern about the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine is questioning the future of the Russian state,” Putin declared, before once again criticizing the sanctions imposed by the international community against the Russian economy.
“These sanctions that have been imposed on us are like a declaration of war, but we are not at that point yet,” explained the president.
Finally, Putin has assured that he has no intention of declaring “martial law” in Russia because he sees “no reason for it”. “Martial law is introduced in case of external aggression, in Russia there is no such situation now and, hopefully, there will be no such situation,” he said.
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