BERLIN, February 25. /TASS/. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has described the developments in Ukraine as "a profound turning point in the history of Europe after the end of the Cold War."

"This aggressive war by Russia marks a profound turning point in the history of Europe after the end of the Cold War," Merkel told the DPA news agency on Friday. She called Moscow's actions a violation of international law and condemned them "in the strongest possible terms".

Merkel held the post of German Chancellor when the coup d'etat took place in Ukraine in 2014, and then the Minsk agreements on ironing out the conflict in Donbass were signed.

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.

When clarifying the developments unfolding, 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.