With pithy words and lies, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has addressed Ukraine to his nation – to justify the war against Ukraine. However, the speech may also have been addressed to the whole world. The speech verbatim.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin addressed the Russians in a televised speech about the illegal military strike against neighboring Ukraine. In it, the Kremlin boss essentially repeated his version of the story that the Western defense alliance NATO had become an ever greater threat to his country in recent years. He spoke again of a breach of commitments by the West, with NATO expanding eastward. However, no such assurance has ever been given.
Vladimir Putin is threatening Ukraine – and other countries
In his speech, Putin again denied Ukraine’s statehood, which is also a violation of international rules on recognizing state borders. He spoke of “continuing mistreatment” and “genocide” (genocide) of people in the areas of eastern Ukraine for eight years. There is no evidence for this thesis.
“We were simply left with no other option to defend Russia and our people than the one we have to resort to today,” Putin said, concluding with a threat: “Whoever tries to hinder us, let alone a threat for our country and our people must know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead to consequences that you have never experienced in your history. We are prepared for any development of events.”
Read excerpts of the Russian President’s speech here, translated by the DPA news agency:
“Dear citizens of Russia! Dear friends!
Today I again consider it necessary to come back to the tragic events in Donbass and the key issues of ensuring Russia’s own security. I would like to start with what I said in my speech on February 21 this year. It’s about what worries and worries us the most, these fundamental threats that, year after year, step by step, are crudely and unabashedly directed at our country by irresponsible politicians in the West. By that I mean the eastward expansion of the NATO bloc, bringing its military infrastructure closer to Russia’s border.
It is well known that over the past 30 years we have persistently and patiently tried to reach an agreement with the leading NATO countries on the principles of equal and indivisible security in Europe. In response to our proposals, we have consistently encountered either cynical deceit and lies or attempts at pressure and blackmail as the North Atlantic Alliance continues to expand, despite our protests and concerns. The war machine is in motion and, I repeat, is approaching our borders.
Why is all this happening? Why this outrageous way of speaking from a position of uniqueness, infallibility and permissiveness? Where does this careless, contemptuous attitude towards our interests and absolutely legitimate demands come from? The answer is clear, understandable and obvious. The Soviet Union weakened in the late 1980s and then completely collapsed…
In general, one gets the impression that almost everywhere, in many regions of the world, where the US goes to enforce its order, bloody, non-healing wounds, boils of international terrorism and extremism remain…
This also includes the promises made to our country not to expand NATO one inch further east. I repeat: you have deceived us, or, as the saying goes, simply dumped us…
By the way: American politicians, political scientists and journalists themselves write and say that a veritable ’empire of lies’ has been created in the USA in recent years. It’s hard not to agree – because that’s the way it is…
In the military sphere, even after the collapse of the USSR and the loss of much of its potential, modern Russia is now one of the most powerful nuclear powers in the world, in addition to having certain advantages in a number of cutting-edge weapon systems. There should therefore be no doubt that a direct attack on our country would result in defeat and dire consequences for any potential aggressor…
The problem is that in the areas adjacent to us – I emphasize our own historical areas – a hostile ‘anti-Russia’ is being created, which has been placed under complete control from outside, by the armed forces of the NATO countries intensively populated and pumped full of the latest weapons.
For the US and its allies, this is a so-called policy of containment of Russia, an obvious geopolitical dividend. For our country, however, it is ultimately a matter of life and death, a matter of our historic future as a nation…
The leading NATO countries support extreme nationalists and neo-Nazis in Ukraine to achieve their own goals, who in turn will never forgive the residents of Crimea and Sevastopol for their free decision to reunite with Russia …
They will, of course, go to Crimea, as they did in Donbass, with war to kill, just as the punitive squads of gangs of Ukrainian nationalists, Hitler’s collaborators during the Great Patriotic War, killed defenseless people. They also blatantly lay claim to a whole bunch of other Russian territories…
We were simply left with no other option to defend Russia and our people than the one we must resort to today. Circumstances demand decisive and immediate action from us. People’s republics of Donbass have asked Russia for help. In this regard, in accordance with Article 51 of Chapter 7 of the Charter of the United Nations, with the consent of the Russian Federation Council and in implementation of the Treaties of Friendship and Mutual Assistance with the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, ratified by the Federal Assembly on February 22 this year, I have Decision made to conduct a special military operation.
Their aim is to protect people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide for eight years. And to this end, we will strive for the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine and bring to justice those who committed numerous bloody crimes against the civilian population, including citizens of the Russian Federation …
Now a few important, very important words for those who might be tempted to join the action from the side. Whoever tries to hinder us, let alone create a threat to our country and our people, must know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead to consequences that you have never seen in your history. We are prepared for any development of events. All necessary decisions have been made in this regard. I hope to be heard.”
Source: Stern
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