The Russian armed forces are not occupying the territory of Ukraine, the military is taking all necessary measures to preserve the lives and safety of civilians. This was announced on Tuesday, March 1, by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
"I emphasize that strikes are carried out only on military facilities and exclusively with high-precision weapons," he added on a conference call.
In addition, the Minister noted that the grouping of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will continue "conducting a special military operation until the goals are achieved."
The day before, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that in order to stabilize the situation in Ukraine, denazification and demilitarization of the country, confirmation of Kiev's neutral status and recognition of Russia's sovereignty over Crimea are necessary.
As Andrei Krasov, First Deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense, noted in an interview with Izvestia, the President of the Russian Federation outlined the goals of the military operation, there is no talk of a war between Russia and Ukraine. The operation is carried out to preserve the life and health of the residents of Donbass.
On February 24, Putin announced a special operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass. After that, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky accused the Russian Federation of hitting the country's military infrastructure and imposed martial law on the entire territory of Ukraine. He also said that Kiev is severing diplomatic relations with Moscow and withdrawing its diplomats from the embassy.
The Russian Defense Ministry stressed that nothing threatens the civilian population of the country. Only military infrastructure is disabled by high-precision means of destruction.
On February 21, the heads of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik appealed to Putin to recognize the independence of the republics. The relevant decrees were signed in the evening of the same day. In the presence of the leaders of the republics, the President of the Russian Federation also signed treaties on friendship, cooperation and assistance. The documents were ratified the next day by both the republics themselves and the Russian State Duma.
The situation in Donbass escalated on February 17, 2022. The DPR and LPR reported intense shelling by Ukrainian security forces, including from heavy weapons. The republics announced a general mobilization and evacuation of civilians to the territory of Russia.
Watch more relevant videos and details about the situation in Donbass on the Izvestia TV channel.