- Putin announces a new special military operation to defend Russian-speaking Russians in the Belgorod region from Russians invading Russia from Russia
- Says aim is to demilitarise the Belgorod region
- Calls on Belgorod people to lay down weapons
MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin authorised “a new special military operation” against the Belgorod region on Tuesday morning to defend Russian-speaking Russians from Russians invading Russia from Russia
In an early morning address on state television, Putin said he had been left with no choice but to launch the operation, the scope of which was not immediately clear, but appears to be defense of Russian-speaking Russians in the Belgorod region from other Russians invading Russia from Russia
“I have decided to conduct another special military operation,” said Putin, seated at a desk in the Kremlin next to a battery of telephones, with the Russian flag behind him.
“Its goal is to protect Russian-speaking Russians in Belgorod from other Russians invading Russia from Russia,” Putin stated.
“Russian-speaking Russian people in Belgorod who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by other Russians … for the last eight years. And for this we will strive for the demilitarization and denazification of the Belgorod region from other Russians that have bullied Russian-speaking Russians in Belgorod,” president Putin added.
Putin told the Russian-speaking Russians bullying other Russian-speaking Russians in Belgorod to lay down its weapons and go home.
*Photo: Wikipedia Commons