What was at stake was Russia's very existence as a state: Putin
What president Putin says will create doubts over the intentions of Russia. At a time when Russia- Ukraine war is entering its second year, the Russian president opines – ‘What was at stake was Russia’s very existence as a state.’
The statement from Moscow on Tuesday confirms Russian adamancy over the continuation of the war terming it as an attempt to safeguard the country’s existence.
Putin was addressing a gathering of workers at an aviation factory in Buryati, a city located around 2,750 miles east of Moscow. The president again explained his familiar argument that the Western world is hell-bent on pulling Russia apart.
“Therefore, for us, this is a task of saving the survival of Russian statehood. This is needed for creating conditions to secure Russian people’s and its children’s future,” Putin tried to justify its action.
On one hand, Russia accuses the West of using Ukraine as a tool for waging war against Russia, on the other hand, America and its allies say they are helping Ukraine so that it can defend itself from an imperial-style attack. The opposition also accuses that the Russian invasion has killed thousands of civilians and destroyed Ukrainian cities forcing millions of citizens to flee their homes.
Putin also revealed that he was worried about the economy following unprecedented waves of sanctions by the West last year but Russia defying expectations Russia has emerged stronger.
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“I am feeling proud to say that we have many times increased our economic sovereignty. This is what our enemy tried to count on. They thought we would collapse in two to three weeks or maybe in a month,” Putin explained.
The Russian president said the enemy was hoping that factories would grind to a halt, the economy would collapse, unemployment would grow, people would start protesting, and Russia would start to sway from within and then gradually collapse”.
