Putin: Russia Delivered Preventive Rebuff to Aggressor

By Staff, Agencies

Russia’s military operation in Ukraine was a preemptive move against an aggressor, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his address at the Victory Day parade in Red Square in Moscow on Monday.

During his speech, Putin not only praised the achievement of the Soviet people during World War II, but also addressed the reasons for the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Russia had to act because a large-scale offensive against the breakaway republics in the eastern Donbass region was being planned, he said.

“We saw the military infrastructure unfolding [in Ukraine]; hundreds of foreign advisers starting their work; there were regular deliveries of the most modern weapons from NATO countries. The danger grew every day,” Putin added.

“Russia gave a preemptive rebuff to aggression – this was a forced, timely and the only right decision by a sovereign, strong and independent country,” he also noted, referring to the launch of the military operation.

“Despite all the disagreements in international relations, Russia has always advocated the creation of a system of equal and indivisible security,” the Russian president said.

Putin also reminded of Moscow’s attempts to engage in dialogue on security guarantees with Washington late last year, which turned out fruitless.