Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday (September 7) that Russia had not lost anything as a result of its military campaign in Ukraine, Reuters reports.
"I am sure that we have not lost anything and will not lose anything (over actions in Ukraine). When it comes to the gains, I can say that the main gain is the strengthening of our sovereignty - that is the inevitable result of what is going on now. Yes, of course, a certain polarisation is taking place, both in the world and inside the country. I think this is only for the best. Everything unnecessary, harmful and everything that keeps us from moving forward will be abandoned; we will gain momentum, as will the pace of development. Modern development can be only achieved through sovereignty, all the steps we take are aimed at strengthening our sovereignty," Putin said.
Speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok, he said all Russia's actions were designed to strengthen Russia's sovereignty and were aimed at "helping people" living in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
"I want to say again - it is often said, I can see, which is absolutely right - we didn't start anything in terms of military actions, we are only trying to put an end to them. The people who started the military action in Ukraine after the coup d'état in 2014 were those who did not want peaceful developments and were set to suppress their own people, starting one military operation after another and waging a genocide over eight years against those living in the Donbas (region of Ukraine)," Putin said.
