Russia announced on Thursday the start of a military operation in Donbass, eastern Ukraine, where explosions were heard in the capital, Kiev, and several Ukrainian cities near the front line and along the country’s coast before dawn.
Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow would respond immediately to any attempt from abroad to prevent a military operation, adding that Moscow would not allow Ukraine to acquire nuclear weapons.
Putin accused what he described as the leading countries in NATO of supporting the neo-Nazis in Ukraine, pointing out that Russia will use its right to defend itself.
Putin also held the Kiev regime responsible for the deteriorating situation, urging Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their weapons and return home, and announced his country’s readiness for any developments, and all required decisions were taken in this regard.
