VLADIVOSTOK, September 7. /TASS/. Ukrainian citizens, who are taking part in combat in Donbass and oppose the Kiev regime, act in the interests of their people and are defending their Motherland, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday speaking at a plenary session of the 2022 Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).
"Ask Ukrainians, who live in Donbass, what values they are defending. They are protecting their Motherland, their identity, their history and their people," Putin clarified.
At a meeting with participants of a Kamchatka-hosted environmental protection forum earlier this week, Putin said he was deeply impressed with the courage of Donbass citizens defending their republics on the frontlines. They had no professional military training, but, according to Putin, are fighting bravely and effectively.
Organized by the Roscongress Foundation, the Seventh Eastern Economic Forum is running from September 5 to September 8 in Vladivostok. TASS is the event’s general information partner and its official photohost agency. This year, the theme of the forum is: "On the Path to a Multipolar World."
Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine
The situation along the line of engagement in Donbass escalated on February 17. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) reported back then the worst wave of bombardments by the Ukrainian military, which damaged civilian infrastructure and caused civilian casualties.
On February 21, President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Russia signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders. Moscow recognized the Donbass republics in accordance with the DPR and LPR constitutions within the boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions as of the beginning of 2014.
Russian President Putin announced on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics for assistance he had decided to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, noting that the operation was aimed at the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine.
The DPR and the LPR launched an operation to liberate their territories under Kiev’s control.