Putin: "Ukraine Invasion, an Inevitable Choice to Protect Our Country"

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dong-hyun] Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the invasion of Ukraine was an inevitable action chosen to protect Russia.

On the 12th (local time), according to foreign media including TASS, President Putin visited the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur Oblast, Far East, to commemorate 'Cosmonautics Day.'

After awarding prizes to space industry officials, President Putin said in a speech, "(The West) transformed Ukraine into an anti-Russian bridgehead and began nurturing the seeds of nationalism and neo-Nazism that had long existed there," emphasizing that "it was inevitable for Russia to clash with these forces."

President Putin also stressed that the operation to 'protect Donbas' would be successful, stating, "The goal is clear and noble." Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February, citing the protection of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) in the eastern Donbas region, which had declared independence from Ukraine.

After the event, President Putin held talks with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who had visited Russia.