Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a military special operation in Ukraine on February 24. He called its goal “the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying, genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.” Also, according to him, Russia will strive to carry out the “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defense has repeatedly stated that the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure, and nothing threatens the civilian population of the country and the Ukrainian military, who will lay down their arms. During the special operation, the Russian military blocked Kyiv from the western part, Chernihiv, Sumy, Konotop were also blocked.
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Also, the Russian armed forces support the offensive of the groups of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, but there is no talk of the occupation of Ukraine, the Russian President stressed. Russia provides military support to the DPR and LPR in accordance with the treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance, which were signed by the President of Russia on February 21.
The DPR forces took control of dozens of settlements in the Donetsk region, including the city of Volnovakha, several neighborhoods of Mariupol, the settlements of Olginka, Panteleymonovka, Zeleny Gai, Mikhailovka, Vasilievka and others over the past week, the Defense Ministry reported. As of March 17, DPR units are attacking Marinka, Slavnoe and Sladkoe.