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Russian President Vladimir Putin's address to the Federal Assembly

West unleashed war while Russia using force to stop it — Putin

The Russian president recalled infamous footage of air strikes on Donetsk and other Donbass cities at that time

MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the West was the one who unleashed a war while Russia is using force to stop it.

"I would like to repeat this: it was them [the West] who unleashed a war. And we were and are using force to stop it," the Russian head of state said in his Address to the Federal Assembly on Tuesday.

"The threat was growing with each passing day. The incoming information left no doubt that by February 2022 everything was ready for yet another bloody punitive operation in Donbass against which, let me reiterate, back in 2014, the Kiev regime deployed both artillery, tanks and warplanes," he emphasized.

The Russian president recalled infamous footage of air strikes on Donetsk and other Donbass cities at that time. According to him, in 2015, Ukrainian troops again attempted to attack Donbass directly "while continuing its blockade, bombardments, and terrorism against civilians." "Let me remind you that all of this completely contradicted the relevant documents and resolutions approved by the UN Security Council. Completely. Everybody was pretending that nothing was happening," Putin added.

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