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‘Neo-Nazis, anti-Russia policy’: Russian foreign ministry gives reason behind Ukraine invasion
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that actions of the current Ukrainian regime show its “criminal nature”, claiming it uses human shields and deploys weapons in residential areas.
Russia on Thursday said that its military operation in Ukraine, which entered the second week during the day, is a “direct result of Ukrainian leadership's anti-Russia policy" aimed at its “own people”. The statement by Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova came as its troops continued heavy shelling in Ukrainian cities, causing casualties and forcing civilians to flee to neighbouring countries of Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Romania and Moldova.
“Russia has been carrying out a special military operation in Ukraine since February 24. It is a direct result of the Ukrainian leadership's eight-year anti-Russia policy directed at its own people. These people came to power following an anti-constitutional coup in 2014, perpetrated by neo-Nazi forces and supported by the West,” the statement by the ministry read.
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Zakharova further stated the actions of the current Ukrainian regime show its “criminal nature”, and also claimed that the east European country's “armed forces and neo-Nazis” use “human shields and deploy weapons in residential areas”.
“This is the tactic of terrorists for whom taking ordinary people hostage is common practice.” the statement added.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has refused to call the military offensive in Ukraine “war”, adding that it was the “only way” to keep his country protected.
The Russian foreign ministry in another statement on Twitter said that the “anti-Semitism, xenophobia, racial discrimination flourishing in Ukraine today” are “exactly” what the Putin's side has been “talking about tirelessly” for the last eight years.
“Something the collective West tried hard to ignore, carefully looking after the ideological successors of fascism,” the statement on the micro-blogging site added.
On the warfront, Ukrainian port city near the Black Sea - Kherson, has become the first region to fall to the Russian forces. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a new video message, rallied his people to keep up the resistance - a pivotal factor in Russian troops failing to capture Kharkiv and capital city of Kyiv till now.
Russian airstrikes that showered upon Ukraine starting Tuesday continue through the third day, with the east European country saying that they are now routinely targetting administrative buildings, residential areas and civilians.
Earlier in the day, missiles hit two schools and private houses in Ukraine's Chernihiv region, the country's emergency services said in an online post. Initially, Chernihiv governor Viacheslav Chaus said as many as nine people were killed and four wounded. However, according to latest updates from the emergency services as reported by Reuters, the death toll has now climbed to at least nine.
Ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine are underway in Belarus. However, Reuters citing the Kremlin said that Putin told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that Russia would achieve its goals of the military operation in Ukraine no matter what
