Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday spoke about the new purpose of the “special military operation” in Ukraine, saying that it is aimed at “eliminating an anti-Russian enclave” from the territory of the neighboring country, Interfax reports.

“An anti-Russian enclave has begun to be created on the territory of Ukraine, which threatens our country. That is why our guys who are fighting there protect both the residents of Donbas and Russia itself. And it certainly deserves the support of the entire society,” Putin said during a meeting with students of the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

He also reported that after the “coup d’état” that took place in Ukraine in 2014 (it is not about Euromaidan), residents of Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, as well as Crimea, did not want to recognize the new regime in Kyiv.

Putin added that Ukraine started a war against its own people and that Russia’s mission is to stop this war.

How Russia changed the goals of war

It will be recalled that in his declaration of war, which he read early in the evening of February 24, the Kremlin leader named the “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine as the main goals of the invasion he ordered. He also spoke about stopping the expansion of NATO to Russia’s borders.

But Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed the plan on March 25, days before it ordered the withdrawal of its troops from the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, saying Russia’s goal was the “complete liberation” of Donbas, a region in eastern Ukraine where… pro-Russian separatists were called people’s republics.

Two days before the start of the war, Vladimir Putin recognized the sovereignty of the separatists over the entire territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and not only over that which they controlled at the time of their recognition of independence.

Russia is preparing to annex the conquered Ukrainian territories

But in mid-June, the Pentagon warned that, despite numerous defeats in the war, Vladimir Putin still likely wants to conquer large parts of Ukraine, if not the entire country. Denys Pusilin, the leader of the Donetsk separatists, publicly called for this at the end of July.

In turn, the leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, made similar statements, analysts note that the Kremlin often uses its “puppets” to express wishes, which are then officially assumed.

However, taking into account the latest problems of the Russian armed forces, which have not been able to significantly advance the front line for more than a month, the Kremlin is currently preparing referendums on the annexation of occupied Ukrainian territories.

The Russian website RBC, citing 5 separate sources in the Kremlin, reported on Thursday that these referendums will be held by the end of autumn.

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