Vladimir Putin has said on Saturday that he will seize more Ukrainian territory and that “nothing and no-one” will stop Russia from achieving “victory.”
Putin said in a speech marking the first anniversary of the annexation of four regions this time last year, he said that they are “defending our compatriots in Donbas.”
The Russian despot said that he acted to restore “something every person values, namely culture, traditions, and mother tongue” among the Russian-speaking people.
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He claimed that “everything that was loathed by nationalists and their Western patrons who orchestrated a coup in Kyiv in 2014 and then unleashed a full-scale civil war and terror against dissenters and organised blockades, constant shelling, and punitive actions in Donbas.”
In an attempt to justify his illegal war, he said, “Nothing and no-one can break the will of millions of people, or their belief in truth and historical justice.
“The free and unequivocal choice of our brothers and sisters was wholeheartedly supported by the Russian people.
“We understood and deeply felt the most important thing: by defending our compatriots in Donbas and Novorossiya, we are defending Russia itself.
“Together, we are fighting for the Motherland, for our sovereignty, spiritual values, unity, and victory.
“I thank all the citizens of the country for this solidarity and patriotism.”
Putin said that he is “building our common future together, rebuilding and building schools and hospitals, housing and roads, museums and memorial sites.”
Putin thanked people in the occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics along with parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, “for preserving and passing on your love for the Fatherland to your children despite all the trials.”
He added, “Thanks to you, your fortitude and determination, Russia has become even stronger.
“We are one people, and together we can overcome anything and meet any challenge.”
The former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday, “The special military operation will continue until the Nazi Kyiv regime is completely destroyed and the original Russian territories are liberated from the enemy.
“Victory will be ours. And there will be more new regions within Russia.”
