Putin cynically calls Ukrainian people brotherly, mentions 'denazification' and 'demilitarization'

Putin made the corresponding statement during a speech at the expanded collegium of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian media report.

“We have always considered the Ukrainian people to be brothers, and I still think so now. And what is happening is our common tragedy. But it is not the result of our policy, on the contrary, it is the result of the policy of third countries,” Putin said.

According to him, “the conflict with Ukraine was inevitable and provoked by the West, and the policy of foreign countries was always aimed at the disintegration of the 'Russian World'”

“To a certain extent, they succeeded and pushed us to the limit where we found ourselves,” Putin stated.

Also, for the first time in a long time, the Russian president again mentioned 'denazification' and 'demilitarization', which he announced on February 24 as the objectives of the war against Ukraine. Putin repeated that the 'military operation' is aimed at the “demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.”