I post here a series of recordings from Russia's NTV Segodnya (today) programme, broadcast on February 24th 2022, where Vladimir Putin declares his resolve to launch a 'special military operation' to protect the residents of Eastern Ukraine - Donbas - from NATO and AFR aggression and invasion. The decision to launch this operation - effectively launching a war against NATO - was only taken after 8 years of aggression from Kiev and the deaths of nearly 14,000 civilians in the two separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The immediate cause was an increase in attacks by the AFR and local Nazi battalions, including the bombing of a jeep outside an administrative headquarters, aimed at a local leader. In this first video which shows the bombing, from a news report on 19th February, evacuations of civilians to Russia was already underway.
The following series of videos may be appreciated simply for what they show and say about Vladimir Putin, regardless of understanding the Russian. (AI translation and subtitling is possible) No doubt a transcript of his presentation to the nation is also available, and worth seeking out - if only to demonstrate the consistency of his message (called "demands" by the West). Putin has been forced to repeat these details at regular intervals, while Ukrainian and Western officials pretend not to hear or understand them. It is an incredible and bizarre act of blindness and deception, and cause for great mourning - that so much has been lost for so little gain, either in terms of territory or in coming to 'an understanding'. This is particularly the case when one considers the early days of 2022 and the peaceful development of Kherson under a new 'pro-Russian' mayor, and leading up to the referenda on joining the Russian Federation.
Lastly for some context, it is productive to watch an Al Jazeera report from September 28th 2022 on the referenda held in the four oblasts seeking to become part of the Russian Federation. That these votes were taken, and the move overwhelmingly popular, has been forgotten or dismissed as meaningless, with excuses presented such as the presence of soldiers forcing the vote. In fact it has been reported clearly that there was no such pressure, and the soldiers sometimes accompanied voting officials to villages and houses for security reasons, and when villagers were unable to reach a polling station. The vote was dismissed by European leaders even before it took place, with no excuse or reason provided; the thought that the residents who we were told were fleeing from Russia might actually welcome the intervention was something that couldn't be discussed. Interestingly and oddly, there was another huge story to distract attention, which featured in the same Al Jazeera news bulletin - the blowing up of the Nordstream gas pipelines!
DM 24th February 2026