Russian President Vladimir Putin said today, Wednesday, that Russia is currently in Ukraine for its “historical lands.”
In a brief speech during a major national festival at the “Luzhniki” stadium in the capital, Moscow, Putin added on a stage in front of a crowd of tens of thousands of Russians, “Today, the (military) leadership told me that battles are taking place within our historical lands for the sake of our people.”
During his appearance, the president praised the Russian military deployed in Ukraine who “are fighting heroically, bravely and valiantly: we are proud of them.”
He explained that all those who support the Russian army “are themselves defenders of the homeland… medical workers and employees in the defense sector and transportation… you are all the ones who came today to support our fighters.”
In a temperature of minus 15 degrees below zero, hundreds of attendees waved Russian flags, while patriotic songs and words by military personnel in Ukraine were broadcast on the podium.
Today’s festival is being held under the motto “Glory to the Defenders of the Fatherland”.
Source: Agencies
