It was a dark and rambling speech filled with historical grievances, conspiracy theories, and outright fabrications.
And when Russian President Vladimir Putin finished his hourlong address to the nation shortly before midnight on February 21, he had all but ended any doubt that he would launch an assault on Ukraine, potentially triggering the largest war in Europe since 1945.
Seated in the Kremlin dressed in a black suit appropriate for a funeral, Putin essentially told his nation that Ukraine did not have the right to exist, bending history to claim it was created on historically Russian land by Soviet leaders desperate to hold on to power.
Check out RFE/RL's live briefing on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and how Kyiv and the West are reacting. Ukraine Under Attack presents the latest developments and analysis, updated throughout the day.
He lashed out at the neighboring country for tearing down monuments to those very Soviet leaders, cynically deriding Ukrainians as “grateful descendants” of Lenin. He then segued into one of his most ominous statements in his speech.
“You want de-communization? Very well, this suits us just fine. But why stop halfway? We are ready to show what real de-communization would mean for Ukraine,” he said, a suggestion that Russia could seize the land he claims the communists handed over to Ukrainian “nationalists.”
In a new address announcing the invasion before dawn on February 24, Putin asserted that Russia has no plans to occupy Ukraine. But...
We respect your privacy Telewizja Polska S.A. w likwidacji processes your personal data collected when you visit individual websites on the tvp.pl Portal (hereinafter referred to as the Portal), i...