Address concerning the events in Ukraine

Video of the address by Vladimir Putin, 56 mins (with English captions).
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"Address concerning the events in Ukraine" (Russian: Обращение по поводу событий на Украине) was a televised address by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 21 February 2022, announcing that the Russian government would recognise the Ukrainian separatist regions of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic as independent. During the speech, Putin also made a number of claims regarding Ukrainian history and Ukrainian domestic politics. Genocide experts, historians and other experts have shown these claims to be false and possibly justifying a genocide. The speech, which marked a significant escalation in the culminating Russo-Ukrainian crisis, was followed three days later by another speech declaring "a special military operation" in Ukraine—announcing the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1]

  1. ^ Gramer, Robbie; Detsch, Jack; Mackinnon, Amy (21 February 2022). "Russian Troops Roll Into Ukraine After Putin Speech". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 12 March 2022.