In this video grab taken from a handout footage made available on February 24, 2022 on the official web site of the Russian President (kremlin.ru) Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation at the Kremlin in Moscow. - Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "military operation" in Ukraine on February 24 and called on soldiers there to lay down their arms, defying Western outrage and global appeals not to launch a war. (Photo by Handout / KREMLIN.RU / AFP) /
In this video grab taken from a handout footage made available on February 24, 2022 on the official web site of the Russian President (kremlin.ru) Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation at the Kremlin in Moscow. - Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "military operation" in Ukraine on February 24 and called on soldiers there to lay down their arms, defying Western outrage and global appeals not to launch a war. (Photo by Handout / KREMLIN.RU / AFP) /
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow had no other choice but to invade Ukraine to ensure Russia’s security, speaking hours after his army crossed his ex-Soviet neighbour’s borders.
“What was happening left us with no choice,” the Russian leader said during a televised meeting with business representatives, adding that “we had no other way of proceeding”.
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