Putin Declares Special Military Operation in Eastern Ukraine... "Will Not Tolerate Threats"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Russian President Vladimir Putin officially announced on the 24th (local time) that a special military operation would be conducted in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

According to TASS news agency and CNN, President Putin stated, "Russia cannot tolerate the threat from Ukraine," adding, "The sole objective of the operation is to protect the residents of (Donbas)." He also warned that Russia will seek the denazification of Ukraine and urged Ukrainian government soldiers to immediately lay down their arms and return home.

President Putin warned that if foreign countries interfere with Russia's actions, Russia will retaliate immediately, leading to consequences they have never seen before.

President Putin approved the military operation during an emergency meeting of the United Nations (UN) Security Council held in New York regarding the Ukraine crisis. Earlier, on the 21st, President Putin unilaterally recognized the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), pro-Russian rebel regions in Donbas, as independent states, and on the 22nd, he ordered the deployment of "peacekeeping forces" to the Donbas region controlled by pro-Russian rebels.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.