The President of Russia on Tuesday has said that Moscow will proceed as per the plan with a military invasion in Ukraine as the pro-Western nation braces for a major Russian offensive in the eastern region.
In an address, President Putin said, “Our task is to fulfill and achieve all the goals set, minimising losses. And we will act rhythmically, as per the plans proposed by the General Staff.”
While addressing to media following a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Putin ignored claims Russia’s military was struggling against the Ukrainian resistance and was forced to withdraw from around major cities, including the capital city of Kyiv.
Putin has also mentioned the operation was not going to speed up, to minimise the rate of casualties. He added, “Most of the time, I hear the question- is it possible to do it a bit faster? It is. It all depends on the intensity of hostilities, but unfortunately, the intensity of hostilities is related to losses.”
Russia has always refused to target civilians, accusing Ukraine of using its population as a “human shield.”
On the comments about the reports of the discovery of hundreds of dead bodies of civilians in the town of Bucha outside Kyiv after the withdrawal of Russia’s troops, Putin dismissed them as “fake.”
He compared the accusations to those concerning the use of chemical weapons by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Putin said, “It is a similar kind of fake in Bucha.”
He also added that Ukraine’s “inconsistency” during peace talks with Russia slowed down the process.
“Yesterday evening, the Ukrainian side changed something again. Such inconsistency on fundamental points does create certain difficulties in reaching final agreements,” Putin said.