Putin Addresses Nation on Special Military Operation

Feb. 24, 2022 (EIRNS)—President Vladimir Putin addressed his nation this evening, on the key aspects of ensuring Russia’s security, and to give an update on the special military operation that is underway. His speech leaves no doubt that what is under attack is not Ukraine as such, but rather the sole-superpower ideology that has dominated Anglo-American foreign policy for the last three decades, since the end of the Cold War.

Putin emphasized that over that time period, Russia had repeatedly promoted an indivisible European architecture, but those who considered themselves the victors of the Cold War were not interested.

“As a result, the old treaties and agreements are no longer effective. Entreaties and requests do not help. Anything that does not suit the dominant state, the powers that be, is denounced as archaic, obsolete and useless. At the same time, everything it regards as useful is presented as the ultimate truth and forced on others regardless of the cost.... The fundamental norms that were adopted following World War II and which largely formalized its outcome came in the way of those who declared themselves the winners of the Cold War.”

He brought up the examples of Belgrade, Libya, Syria, and Iraq, against which military operations were conducted without legitimately derived UN Security Council support (including by lies told to the UNSC). “The combat operations conducted by the Western coalition in that country without the Syrian government’s approval or UN Security Council’s sanction can only be defined as aggression and intervention.” Yet, today members of that body denounce Russia for its actions, necessary for its own security.

The Russian President denounced the “so-called Western bloc” as an “empire of lies,” which he said is controlled by the United States.

While the U.S.S.R. had been patient and non-confrontational in the run-up to World War II, this left the nation unprepared to counter the invasion by Nazi Germany. “We will not make this mistake the second time. We have no right to do so.”

Telling other nations to keep out, he reminded the world that Russia “has certain advantages in several cutting-edge weapons. In this context, there must be no doubt for anyone that any potential aggressor will face defeat and ominous consequences should it directly attack our country.”

Ukraine, under the thumb of NATO powers, wants more and more weapons, and even proposes becoming a nuclear power. If Russia were simply to wait, it would be attacked. The NATO provocations against Russia left it with no choice: “They did not leave us any other option for defending Russia and our people, other than the one we are forced to use today. In these circumstances, we have to take bold and immediate action.”

Citing Article 51 of the UN Charter (“Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations”), Putin “made a decision to carry out a special military operation.”

“The purpose of this operation is to protect people who, for eight years now, have been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kiev regime. To this end, we will seek to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, as well as bring to trial those who perpetrated numerous bloody crimes against civilians.... It is not our plan to occupy the Ukrainian territory.”

He concluded:

“Let me remind you that the people living in territories which are part of today’s Ukraine were not asked how they want to build their lives when the U.S.S.R. was created, or after World War II. Freedom guides our policy, the freedom to choose independently our future and the future of our children. We believe that all the peoples living in today’s Ukraine, anyone who wants to do this, must be able to enjoy this right to make a free choice.”