Russian President Vladimir Putin named the purpose of the special military operation (as in Russia they call their military aggression against Ukraine), writes mk.ru.
Putin said that the participants in the SVO are striving for the liberation of historical lands, referring to the occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.
„The participants in a special military operation are fighting for the liberation of our historical lands, for independence”, Putin said in a congratulatory telegram on the 10th anniversary of the annexation of the two “republics”.
Putin said that the entire Russian people support the young republics and recalled that they are now full-fledged subjects of the federation. “Together we will achieve success”, Putin declared, repeating again the myth of the neo-Nazis who repressed the Russian-speaking population in eastern Ukraine.
The full-scale war that Russia launched unprovoked against Ukraine in February 2022 is now in its third year. Putin's regime has staked everything it has on it. Putin's survival, including physical survival, depends on the outcome of this war.