On the eve of his official visit to India, Vladimir Putin gave a long interview to India Today. In this conversation, published on December 4th, journalist Gita Mohan posed a highly accurate and unique question to the Russian president: What do Russian-speaking residents of Donbas think about why they are shocked by their homes destroyed by the Russian army?
The journalist said that during his trip to Donetsk and Luhansk, he spoke with local residents. Many of them stated that they are Russian-speaking and feel pressure from Kyiv over the language issue, but they cannot understand that their homes are being destroyed after the start of the Russian military operation.
Putin initially pretended not to understand the question at all. Then he went on to explain the situation in his own way:
- Apparently, they lived in the territories under the control of the Kyiv government. And the part of Donetsk and Luhansk that is not under Kyiv's control was destroyed by the Kyiv regime. And we were forced to support the part of these territories that declared independence," he said.
Putin also emphasized that the residents of Donbas were given a "choice option" through a referendum, adding that those who approved the Russian composition voted, and those who disagreed could move to another part of Ukraine.
Another hot part of the interview was Putin's statement that "we will definitely liberate" Donbass:
"Either Ukrainian troops will leave these territories and stop killing people, or we will liberate Donbass with weapons. In essence, the situation will move in this direction," the Russian president said.
At the same time, another important point regarding the future of Donbas was also mentioned in the conversation: it was noted that the "Trump peace plan" aimed at ending the war envisions Ukraine withdrawing its troops from Luhansk and Donetsk, effectively ceding these territories to Russia.
At the end of the interview, both the journalist's questions and Putin's answers once again showed that the two sides see reality completely differently. The dispute over Donbas will likely continue for a long time in the geopolitical arena.
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