Vladimir Putin insisted that his bloody campaign in Ukraine would continue until its “noble” goals were achieved, claiming that the invasion was going according to plan, despite fierce Ukrainian resistance and heavy losses among Russian forces.
“We will achieve our goals, no doubt,” Putin told workers at Russia’s Vostochny spaceport in Russia’s Far East in his first public comments about the war after his forces were forced to withdraw from northern Ukraine more than a week ago.
“Its goals are absolutely clear and noble,” Putin told Russia’s military campaign as he stood by his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, during a visit to mark the 61st anniversary of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s first space flight.
This was only his second public appearance in a week, following a brief appearance at the funeral of ultranationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, where he did not mention the war directly. His recent low profile marks a sharp change for a leader who was ubiquitous on Russian television in the early days of the war.
Speaking later at a news conference, Putin dismissed Ukrainian allegations that Russian troops had executed civilians in Bucha, comparing the killings to what he claimed were Western-staged attacks with chemical weapons in Syria aimed at denouncing Russian ally Bashar. al Assad.
“Bucha is the same kind of forgery,” Putin said.
It was unclear whether Putin meant that images of dead civilians in Bucha were staged or that civilians were killed by Ukrainians, two controversial versions that are heavily promoted by Russian officials and state media.
Ukraine has accused the Russian military of executing civilians in Bucha, a city outside the capital Kyiv, which Russian troops occupied several weeks before withdrawing. Western countries are working with Ukraine in a joint investigation to gather evidence of possible Russian war crimes.
Military map of Ukraine
Mr Lukashenko described the atrocities in Bucha as a “British special operation”, citing no evidence.
“If you need addresses, passwords, car numbers, brands of cars with which they arrived in Bucha and how they did it, the FSB [spy agency] of the Russian Federation may provide this information. If not, we can help, “said the Belarusian leader, who had previously said Ukraine planned to invade his country.
Putin also said sanctions imposed on his country would not have the desired effect, drawing an analogy between Russia’s current situation and that of the Soviet Union in 1961, when Gagarin became the first man in space. “The sanctions were total, the isolation was complete, but the Soviet Union was still first in space,” Putin said.
“The blitzkrieg our enemies relied on did not work,” Putin added, referring to unprecedented Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin delivered a speech during a visit to the Vostochny spaceport in Russia’s Far East. Photo: Evgeny Biyatov / Sputnik / AFP / Getty Images
At times, the Russian leader seemed wandering or stuttering, in stark contrast to the icy, confident demeanor he usually exhibits.
A recurring theme in Putin’s remarks on Tuesday was that war with Ukraine, which will soon enter its third month, was “inevitable”.
“We were forced to do that… Ukraine began to become an anti-Russian base. “They began to germinate nationalism and neo-Nazism. And a clash with those forces was inevitable for Russia,” Putin said. “They were just choosing a time to attack. It was inevitable, it was only a matter of time.”
Sam Green, a professor of Russian politics and director of the Russian Institute at King’s College London, said Putin had described Russia’s actions in Ukraine as an “existential threat” since the crisis began.
“This whole war is built around the rhetoric that Russia was under existential threat. That this war was imposed on Russia. “Although goals and tasks may change during this war, Putin simply cannot give up this type of existential rhetoric,” he said.
Green said the rhetoric seems to have taken hold in Russia, citing genuine support for the war among sections of the population. “Putin wants to make sure there is no doubt as to why this is happening and why all the pain and casualties are justified.
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