Headline: Putin Admits Ukraine/Russia War Report – Reddit”>Russia Should Have Invaded Ukraine Sooner, Blames Ukraine and West
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Moscow – In a recent interview with Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin, Russian President Vladimir Putin conceded that his country should have launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine earlier than February 2022. However, he refrained from specifying an exact timeline for this alleged decision.
Putin, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), repeated his assertion that Russia was obligated to breach the ceasefire it had imposed on Ukraine in 2014 and 2015, and commence a full-scale invasion prior to the 2022 incursion. He further accused Ukraine and Western nations of misleading Russia by not adhering to the Minsk agreements, which, he claimed, provided the West with time to strengthen Ukraine for future military actions against Russia.
The Russian leader asserted that Russia needed to "choose the right moment" to initiate a full-scale invasion, instead of waiting until there were no alternatives. Significantly, Putin did not mention Ukraine’s defensive military build-up in response to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and the subsequent conflict in eastern Ukraine.
This isn’t the first time Putin has made such remarks. During his annual ‘Direct Line’ Q&A on December 19, he stated that he would have ordered a full-scale invasion earlier if given the chance. Furthermore, Putin claimed that Ukraine was not upholding the Minsk agreements, and that Russia’s 2022 invasion was "spontaneous."
ISW criticized the Minsk agreements as heavily favoring Russia, as they placed no obligations on Moscow despite Russia’s role as an alleged neutral mediator. The agreements established a "ceasefire regime," which Russian-backed separatists repeatedly violated with Russian support.
Putin’s latest comments come amidst a critical phase in the Ukrainian conflict. On December 21, Ukrainian forces allegedly struck a fuel depot in Russia’s Orlovskaya region with drones. Meanwhile, Russian forces have reportedly executed more Ukrainian prisoners of war on the battlefield, while both sides have made territorial gains in recent days.
Separately, intelligence reports suggest that North Korea may have transferred at least four additional ballistic missiles to Russia. As the conflict continues, Putin’s candor may offer insights into Russia’s strategic thinking and potential future moves.
