Putin vows to make military gains in Ukraine as he meets with his campaign staff
ABC News
President Vladimir Putin has vowed to drive Ukrainian forces back to reduce the threat of attacks on Russian territory as he met with activists running his campaign ahead of the March presidential election that he’s all but certain to win
MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin vowed Wednesday to push back Ukrainian forces to reduce the threat of attacks on Russian territory as he met with activists running his campaign ahead of the March presidential election that he’s all but certain to win.
Asked about plans for the military campaign in Ukraine, Putin said the line of contact needs to be pushed back to “such a distance from our territory that will make it safe from Western-supplied long-range artillery that Ukrainian authorities use for shelling peaceful cities.”
He added the Russian military has been doing just that, “pushing the enemy back from vital populated centers.”
“This is the main motive for our guys who are fighting and risking their lives there -- to protect the Motherland, to protect our people,” he added.
Ukraine has struck inside Russia recently, including a Dec. 30 attack on the border city of Belgorod that killed 25 people, injured over 100.
