KIEV, February 24. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that weapons will be provided for everyone in the country to protect its sovereignty.

"We are already providing weapons and we will provide them to protect our land to everyone who is able to defend our sovereignty," Zelensky said at a briefing on Thursday.

"Everyone who has combat experience and can join the defense of Ukraine should immediately arrive at the appropriate service centers. The Ministry of Internal Affairs attracts veterans to the state protection," he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on Thursday morning that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

Russia's Defense Ministry reported later on Thursday that Russian troops were not delivering strikes against Ukrainian cities. It emphasized that Ukrainian military infrastructure was being destroyed by precision weapons. Civilians are not threatened, it assured.