Putin stated the importance of guaranteeing the safety of people to end the special operation

In the issue of conducting a special operation, the issue is not about territories, but about guarantees of the security of the peoples of Russia, said Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Now about where we should stay. You know, it’s not a matter of territories, it’s a matter of guaranteeing the security of the peoples of Russia and the Russian state. And this is a more complex issue than some territory,” he said at a meeting of the Valdai discussion club.

He clarified that the matter is about the safety of people who “consider Russia their Motherland, and we consider them our people.”

In the summer of 2022, Putin called the goal of the military operation the liberation of Donbass, the protection of the people living there and “the creation of conditions that would guarantee the security of Russia itself.” Then the president emphasized that “everything is going according to plan.”

“The work proceeds calmly, rhythmically, the troops move and reach those milestones that are set as a task at a certain stage of this combat work,” he said.

On May 23 of this year, the Russian leader noted that Russia did not start the conflict in Ukraine; with the help of a special operation, Moscow is trying to end the war waged by the “enemy of our people.”