Only “when we achieve our objectives” will there be peace with Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has informed Russians.
Since launching his first full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he is hosting his first significant press conference.
Mr Putin has added an audience of journalists to his yearly “direct line” phone-in with Russians.
Last year’s yearly event was postponed.
What Mr. Putin refers to as the “special military operation in Ukraine” has dominated a large portion of the first half of this marathon event.
His first ideas concerned the significance of Russian sovereignty. It is impossible for our nation to live without sovereignty. It will just cease to exist,” he said to Yekaterina Berezovskaya, the host of state-run Channel One.
After stating that Russia’s economy was robust during the war, Mr. Putin’s talk swiftly turned to Ukraine.
617,000 Russians engaged in combat in Ukraine
“When we achieve our objectives, there will be peace [in Ukraine],” stated Mr. Putin. “Those goals remain constant,” he stated, enumerating “denazification, demilitarisation, and its impartial standing.” He has emphasised these ideas ever since the war began.
He once disclosed that there are currently 617,000 Russian soldiers engaged in combat in Ukraine. In addition, he stated that 486,000 additional people have voluntarily joined up to be contract soldiers, on top of the 300,000 people who were called up for duty last year.
“The stream of our men who are ready to defend the interests of the homeland with weapons in their hands is not diminishing,” he stated. By the end of this year, there will be little less than 500,000 men in total. Why is a mobilisation necessary?”
He did not provide the amount of military casualties, but he did reveal that some persons “close to me” had passed away and that children of those in his “close” circle had fought for alleged private military groups.
This week, a confidential US intelligence analysis stated that 315,000 Russian soldiers had been wounded or killed since the start of the war, which amounted to about 90% of Russia’s military strength at the beginning of the invasion.
BBC
