The president, who spoke on Monday at a meeting of senior officials of the Ministry of Defense held in Moscow, also noted that the country will maintain the potential and balanced development of nuclear forces.

Regarding the special military operation, Putin stressed that the year that ends has become a milestone in terms of achieving the objectives of the special military operation, as Russia has managed to completely dominate the fighting against the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

He recalled that in the period the troops of the Eurasian nation occupied 189 localities in the combat zone, and that the situation on the battlefield will not change even if the age for mobilization in Ukraine is lowered to 14 years. Putin added that Russia is now at war not with the Ukrainian people, but with “the neo-Nazi regime in kyiv, which took power in 2014.” All the problems between Ukraine and Russia began with the “bloody, unconstitutional coup” in kyiv in 2014, he said.

In his opinion, Vladimir Zelensky’s government does not protect the interests of the Ukrainian people. “This government obviously loses the signs of statehood altogether,” the president stressed regarding the illegitimacy of the Kiev authorities.

Later, the president said that the military and political situation in the world remains difficult and unstable.

The current US administration and the entire West do not give up trying to impose their dominance, as they “continue to impose their so-called rules on the world community, which at the same time they repeatedly change and twist according to their convenience,” he added.

“The United States continues to supply weapons and money to the authorities of the de facto illegitimate government in kyiv, sends mercenaries and military advisers and thus encourages further escalation of the conflict,” the head of state said.

The West is pushing Moscow closer to this “red line” and, after a response, frightens its population with a Russian threat.

The aspirations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have long gone beyond the so-called zone of historical responsibility, he said.

In addition to the so-called eastern flank, the bloc is increasing its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, new military and political alliances are being formed at the behest of the United States, thereby undermining a decades-old security structure, Putin said.

Russia maintains a policy of nuclear deterrence without displaying its nuclear weapons, and will maintain their potential and balanced development. It is important to keep these capabilities on constant alert, and to continue the practice of conducting exercises to resolve problems of their use, Putin concluded.

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