MOSCOW: The goals of Russia’s “military special operation” in Ukraine have not changed, President Vladimir Putin declared on Thursday, saying there would be no peace until they have been achieved.
Setting out the goals, as he did on the day he sent forces into Ukraine in February 2022, Putin told his annual press conference that Moscow aimed to bring about the demilitarization, denazification, and a neutral status of the country.
He said that there will be peace when Russia achieves its goals.
Putin has repeatedly claimed the Ukrainian government is heavily influenced by radical nationalist and neo-Nazi groups – an accusation derided by Kyiv and the West.
Putin said that as for demilitarization, if they do not want to come to a deal, then we are forced to take other measures, including military ones or we will agree on certain terms.
Russia’s war moves
Putin ordered a partial military call-up in September 2022 as he tried to boost his troops in Ukraine, leading to demonstrations.
On the possibility of a second military draft, Putin said that we had a partial mobilization, we called up 300,000 people. The soldiers are fighting well, really well … I think 244,000 are in the special military operation zone.
After that, we started a drive to attract people on a voluntary basis to sign contracts with the armed forces. As of yesterday evening, I was informed we now had come up with 486,000, he added.
Putin said that the flow of men ready to defend homeland with weapons in hand is not decreasing. Together with volunteers, there should be around half a million people. There is no need for mobilization as of today.
He said “the flow” of volunteers coming forward “is not diminishing”, with about fifteen hundred signing up every day.
He added that nearly 617,000 Russian forces are currently fighting in battle zones in Ukraine.
His comments came days after US intelligence revealed 9 in 10 Russian soldiers have become casualties from the original Ukraine invasion force. An estimated 315,000 forces out of the 360,000 that invaded in February last year have been killed or injured, a declassified report said.
