Putin tells schoolkids new reason for 'special operation' in Ukraine

This was reported by the Interfax Russian propaganda news agency.

The Russian president spoke about the new purpose of the 'special operation' during a conversation with schoolchildren at an open lesson "Conversation about what is important" in Kaliningrad.

"On the territory of today's Ukraine, an anti-Russian enclave has begun to be created, which threatens our country. Therefore, our guys who are fighting there protect both the residents of Donbas and Russia itself. And this, of course, deserves the support of the whole society", he said.

At the same time, Putin noted that talking about war is "not quite a children's topic, but it is quite understandable".

In addition, the dictator repeated the old propaganda thesis about the "absence of Ukraine" as a state.

"There was no such state. After the revolution of 1917, all kinds of quasi-states were created, and thus, during the formation of the Soviet Union, Ukraine also emerged. The Communist Party, which was in power at the time, formed the union republics, transferring to Ukraine a significant part of the historical Russian territories, including Donbas, although the inhabitants of Donbas didn't want that. And the documents testify to that", Putin said.

According to him, initially Luhansk and Donetsk (then the Kryvyi Rih Republic) were supposed to become part of Russia. But "grandfather Lenin said: 'It should be re-decided.' And they gave them to Ukraine", he added.