The military body posted Tuesday on its Telegram channel a series of pictures showing Russian fighters hanging a flag in the ventilation shaft of a mine located on the outskirts of Ukrainsk, the locality was occupied after fierce fighting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin assures that the goals of the special military operation in Ukraine since February 24, 2022, are to protect the population from genocide by the Kyiv Government, and tackle the national security risks posed by the advance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to the east. The republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, as well as the provinces of Kherson and Zaporozhie, joined Russia at the end of September 2022 after holding respective self-determination referendums.

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