MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/. Militarization, the frenzy of neo-Nazism and the years-long civil war in Ukraine are the result of the West’s blatant interference into its sovereign affairs, a Russian lawmaker said on Tuesday.
"The entire world is closely watching the developments around the aggravated Ukrainian crisis. But, regrettably, few in the world remember that it broke out eight year ago as a result of the anti-constitutional state coup in Kiev that had been plotted and orchestrated by Washington. The rest, including the subsequent years-long civil war in Donbass, the militarization of Ukraine and the frenzy of hardline neo-Nazism brewed on Neanderthal Russophobia are the result of the West’s blatant interference into the sovereign affairs of our neighboring Orthodox Slavic country," said Andrey Klimov, chairman of the commission for the protection of Russia’s state sovereignty and prevention of any interference into Russia’s sovereign affairs of the Russian Federation Council, or upper parliament house.
According to Klimov, the key goal of the actions of NATO member countries in Ukraine was to weaken and contain Russia. "This plan has long been known as the Anti-Russia project. Under this plan, our brotherly country is to become a NATO Russophobic stronghold near the Russian borders. It also includes maximal toughening of the illegal anti-Russian administrative and economic sanctions, the Goebbels-like aggressive propaganda," he said, adding that one of such "lies-manufacturing center" is operating in Poland under the supervision of US special services.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on February 24 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.
When clarifying the unfolding developments, the Russian Defense Ministry reassured that Russian troops are not targeting Ukrainian cities, but are limited to surgically striking and incapacitating Ukrainian military infrastructure. There are no threats whatsoever to the civilian population.