Putin beordrar styrkor att gå in i Ukraina - INVASION NU (2022-02-24)

Some Russian territories de facto occupied by Kiev regime, must be liberated — Kremlin

According to the newspaper, the Kremlin spokesman also noted that Russia cannot allow the existence of a state that documented its intent to use any means necessary to take Crimea, not to mention Donbass and Novorossiya, on its doorstep

MOSCOW, March 22. /TASS/. Some Russian territories are currently de facto occupied by the Kiev regime; it is necessary to liberate the new regions and to protect the people there, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview for aif.ru.

"We now have four new Federation subjects. And the most important thing for us is to protect the people in these subjects, and to liberate the territory of these subjects, which is currently de fact occupied by the Kiev regime," the spokesman said in an interview for aif.ru.

According to the newspaper, the Kremlin spokesman also noted that Russia cannot allow the existence of a state that documented its intent to use any means necessary to take Crimea, not to mention Donbass and Novorossiya, on its doorstep.

NATO is prepared for potential conflict with Russia, the Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer, stated in an interview with Ukrainian media, Report informs.

The special military operation has actually turned into a war due to the involvement of Western countries in the conflict, said Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov.

However, there have been no legal changes regarding the status of the SVO.

“This is a special military operation de jure, but de facto, in fact, for us it turned into a war after the collective West more and more directly increases the level of its involvement in the conflict,” Peskov said.

The day before, a Kremlin representative explained the legal status of the SVO in a conversation with aif.ru journalists. He said that Russia is “in a state of war” due to the active participation of Western countries in the conflict.

“We are at war. Yes, it began as a special military operation, but as soon as this group was formed there, when the collective West became a participant in this on the side of Ukraine, for us it already became a war. I am convinced of this. And everyone should understand this for their own internal mobilization,” Peskov added.