Putin regrets not launching Ukraine invasion earlier: We should start preparing earlier
Russia's dictator, Vladimir Putin (Photo: Getty Images)
During the so-called Year-End Review, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin stated that he regrets not starting the special military operation (SMO) earlier. According to him, Russia should have begun preparations earlier as well.
When asked if he would change his "decision from February 2022," referring to the start of the so-called "special military operation," which is, in reality, an invasion of Ukraine, the dictator replied that the SMO should have been launched earlier.
"This decision, which was made at the beginning of 2022, should have been made earlier. That's the first thing. Secondly, we should have started preparing, including for the SMO. The events in Crimea were spontaneous. The events of 2022 also began without preparation. But why did we start? Because it was impossible to stand still and endure any longer," Putin stated.
He also justified the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by claiming that the Ukrainian authorities refused to implement the Minsk Agreements, and Russia was "forced" into action.
"We were forced into these actions. If we had known what would happen in advance, of course, we would have conducted systematic and serious preparations," he said.
Goals of so-called special military operation
It is worth recalling that before the invasion of Ukraine, Putin recorded an address announcing the start of the special military operation. At the time, the dictator claimed that the Russian army would engage in the "demilitarization" and "denazification" of Ukraine.
Notably, none of these "goals" were achieved from the outset, and the Russian army's offensive failed. This is why Putin and other high-ranking officials in Russia constantly invent new objectives to justify the continuation of the war against Ukraine.
Previously, his press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin was allegedly ready to discuss ways to achieve Russia's goals by means other than the "military special operation" in Ukraine.
For instance, a year ago, Putin claimed that by waging war against Ukraine, he was supposedly trying to help Palestine. He also expressed a desire to find the "spider" that allegedly seeks to ensure Russia's defeat on the battlefield.
