Russian dictator Vladimir Putin claimed that Moscow had allegedly \u00abnot started the war\u00bb, but was responding to the actions of the Ukrainian authorities. In his speech, he repeated propaganda claims about \u00abNazism\u00bb in Ukraine, cast doubt on its borders and declared that the so-called \u00abspecial military operation\u00bb would end in \u00abRussia\u2019s victory\u00bb. His words contradict the chronology of Russian aggression and the position of international institutions.<\/p>\n
Briefly about the main points<\/strong><\/p>\n Putin said that Russia had allegedly been \u00abforced\u00bb to launch the so-called \u00abspecial military operation\u00bb because of Kyiv\u2019s actions. He described the change of government in Ukraine in 2014 as an \u00abunconstitutional coup\u00bb and accused Western states of allegedly turning a blind eye to these events.<\/p>\n Russia\u2019s aggression against Ukraine began in 2014 with the occupation of Crimea and the intervention in the Donbas. On 24 February 2022, Russian troops, acting on Putin\u2019s orders, launched a full-scale invasion from the territory of Russia, Belarus and occupied Crimea.<\/p>\n In Resolution 68\/262 of 27 March 2014, the UN General Assembly reaffirmed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders and called for the change in the status of Crimea not to be recognised. In March 2022, the General Assembly also demanded that Russia cease its unlawful use of force and unconditionally withdraw its troops.<\/p>\n Separately, Putin once again put forward the unfounded claim that Ukrainian identity is shaped \u00abon the basis of Nazism and neo-Nazism\u00bb. He stated that the western territories of Ukraine, which he described as \u00abgifted by Stalin\u00bb, could be \u00abreturned\u00bb to Poland, Hungary and Romania.<\/p>\n None of these states has made any official territorial claims against Ukraine. Poland, Hungary and Romania recognise its borders. Russian propaganda regularly uses the idea of a possible partition of Ukraine; such rhetoric may fuel mistrust between Ukraine and its neighbouring countries.<\/p>\n At the same time, Russia occupied Crimea and parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, thereby violating Ukraine\u2019s territorial integrity.<\/p>\n Putin described the UN Charter as the foundation of modern international law, whilst at the same time casting doubt on the system of international relations following the collapse of the USSR. The UN Charter prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state.<\/p>\n On 16 March 2022, the International Court of Justice ordered provisional measures and instructed Russia to immediately suspend the military operations it had launched on 24 February. The Court noted that it had no evidence before it to substantiate Russia\u2019s allegations that Ukraine had committed genocide as a justification for the invasion. This was not a final ruling by the Court on all aspects of Russia\u2019s liability.<\/p>\n In its conclusions of 18 June 2026, the European Council explicitly described Russia as an aggressor and its war as a war of aggression. The EU emphasised that borders cannot be changed by force, and that a peaceful settlement must be based on the UN Charter, Ukraine\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity.<\/p>\n At the end of his speech, Putin stated that the war would end with \u00abthe enemy being defeated and victory going to Russia\u00bb. Coupled with the denial of responsibility for the invasion and territorial threats, this statement gives no public indication that the Kremlin is prepared for a settlement based on Ukraine\u2019s sovereignty and the inviolability of its borders.<\/p>\n\n
The Kremlin\u2019s version contradicts the timeline of the aggression<\/h2>\n
Threats to the western regions of Ukraine<\/h2>\n
Reference to the UN Charter and international assessment<\/h2>\n
Rhetoric showing no sign of compromise<\/h2>\n