Putin Declares Special Military Operation in Eastern Ukraine... "No Plans for Occupation" (Comprehensive)

Russian President Vladimir Putin
[Photo by AP]

[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. The situation has forced us to take decisive and swift action." He added, "The sole objective of the operation is to protect the residents of Donbas," and said, "Our plan is not to occupy Ukraine, nor do we intend to impose anything on anyone."

President Putin also said, "Russia will seek the demilitarization of Ukraine," warning Ukrainian government soldiers to immediately lay down their arms and return home. He emphasized, "The responsibility for any potential bloodshed lies with the conscience of the Ukrainian government," and affirmed that Russian soldiers will fulfill their duties.

President Putin warned that if foreign countries interfere with Russia's actions, there will be immediate retaliation, leading to consequences they have never seen before. He stated that the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the use of Ukrainian territory are unacceptable. Regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's recent suggestion of reconsidering the nuclear disarmament policy, he said, "Russia cannot allow this."

President Putin approved the military operation during an emergency meeting of the United Nations (UN) Security Council held in New York concerning 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) in the pro-Russian rebel areas of 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.