Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on February 28 that Russia was not provoking a conflict with Ukraine; instead, it was seeking to end the conflict that had lasted for years, russia reported on Feb. 28.
Igor Konashenkov Image Source: Foreign media
Konashenkov said at a news conference on Monday: "Hostilities by the Kiev regime and the systematic extermination of the inhabitants of Donbass have been going on for eight years. In the course of the war, more than 14,000 people were killed, including hundreds of children. This must be stopped. It is necessary to put an end to the Kiev regime's endless threat to Russia. Russia will do that. ”
Konashenkov also said that "all residential areas under the control of the Russian army are living normally", critical infrastructure and transportation are operating normally, and the administrative departments of most cities, in consultation with the Russian command, agreed to jointly enforce the law within their respective jurisdictions to maintain order.
On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry released a video of Russian and Ukrainian troops working together to ensure safety around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Kiev.
In addition, for the first time, the Russian side admitted in the announcement that there were casualties among the Russian troops. The Russian Defense Ministry issued a circular on the evening of the 27th that Russian military personnel suffered casualties in the process of carrying out special military operations, but did not disclose details, but said that the number was far lower than that of the Ukrainian side. According to the briefing, personnel from both Russia and Ukraine were captured by the other side. The circular did not mention the specific number of casualties and the number of prisoners. The Russian Defense Ministry also referred to the mass surrender of Ukrainian troops, saying that the Russian side guaranteed their safety and promised to allow them to return home to reunite with their families.
In April 2014, a large-scale armed conflict broke out between Ukrainian government forces and local civilian forces in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine. The civil armed forces subsequently proclaimed the establishment of the "Donetsk People's Republic" and the "Luhansk People's Republic". Through the mediation of the international community, the two sides reached ceasefire agreements in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, in September 2014 and February 2015, respectively, and large-scale armed conflicts have been brought under control, but small-scale exchanges of fire have occurred from time to time.
The Russian government has previously refused to recognize Donetsk and Luhansk, saying the issue is Ukraine's internal affair and needs to be resolved under the New Minsk Agreement. But on February 21, against the backdrop of intense exchanges of artillery fire claimed by both Donbass and Ukraine along the ceasefire line, the leaders of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic again formally requested Russian recognition.
Putin Image source: People's vision
Putin signed an order on the 21st to recognize the "Donetsk People's Republic" and the "Luhansk People's Republic" in eastern Ukraine, and instructed the Russian Ministry of Defense to send peacekeeping troops to The Donbass, and at the same time instructed the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to establish diplomatic relations with these two "republics".
On February 24, Putin ordered special military operations in eastern Ukraine, noting that Russia has no plans to occupy Ukraine but will work to achieve "demilitarization and de-Nazismization" of Ukraine.
(Editor: ZLQ)