Riaan 
UMengameli waseRussia uVladimir Putin uvumile ngoLwesithathu ukuthi “umkhankaso wakhe wezempi okhethekile” e-Ukraine uthatha isikhathi eside kunalokho obekulindelwe kodwa wancoma ukuthunjwa kwendawo yakwamakhelwane wakhe njengempumelelo enkulu wathi izikhali zenuzi zezwe lakhe zivimbela ukwanda.
“Yebo, kungaba yinqubo ende,” kusho uPutin ngempi enezinyanga ezingaphezu kwezingu-9 eyaqala ngokuhlaselwa kweRussia ngomhla zingama-24 kuFebhuwari. Impi isuse izigidi ezindlini zabo, yabulala futhi yalimaza amashumi ezinkulungwane.
Naphezu kobude bayo, u-Putin akabonisanga zimpawu zokuyeka, wafunga ukuthi “uzoqhubeka nokulwela izintshisekelo zethu” futhi “sizivikele sisebenzisa zonke izindlela ezitholakalayo”.
Ekhuluma emhlanganweni wethelevishini eRussia namalungu oMkhandlu Wamalungelo Abantu, uPutin uchaze ukuzuza komhlaba “njengomphumela obalulekile eRussia,” ephawula ukuthi “uLwandle Lwase-Azov seluphenduke ulwandle lwangaphakathi lwaseRussia.”
Ngemuva kokwehluleka ukuthatha i-Kyiv ngenxa yokumelana okuqinile kwe-Ukraine, iRussia yathatha indawo ebanzi eningizimu ye-Ukraine ekuqaleni kokuhlasela futhi yathumba ichweba elibalulekile loLwandle lwase-Azov eMariupol ngoMeyi ngemuva kokuvinjezelwa cishe izinyanga ezintathu.
NgoSepthemba, uPutin wathatha ngokungemthetho izifunda ezine zase-Ukraine nakuba amabutho akhe engazange azilawule ngokuphelele: iKherson neZaporizhzhia eningizimu, neDonetsk neLuhansk empumalanga. Ngo-2014, wathatha ngokungemthetho iNhlonhlo YaseCrimea yase-Ukraine.
Ephendula ukwanda kwezikhali ezithuthukisiwe zaseNtshonalanga, usizo lwezomnotho, lwezepolitiki, nolwezenhlalakahle e-Kyiv, nalokho akubona njengezitatimende ezivusa uhlevane zabaholi baseNtshonalanga, uPutin ubelokhu eveza ukuthi angase asebenzise izikhali zenuzi.
Ngesikhathi ilungu loMkhandlu Wamalungelo Abantu limcela ngoLwesithathu ukuthi athembise ukuthi iRussia ngeke ibe ngeyokuqala ukusebenzisa izikhali ezinjalo, uPutin waphika.
“Uma ingaqali ukuyisebenzisa ngaphansi kwanoma yiziphi izimo, kusho ukuthi ngeke kube ngeyesibili ukuyisebenzisa futhi, ngoba amathuba okuyisebenzisa uma kwenzeka isiteleka senuzi endaweni yethu izoba ncane kakhulu,” usho kanje. kusho.
UPutin, osekusho kaningi ukuthi iRussia isikulungele ukusebenzisa “zonke izindlela ezikhona” ukuvikela indawo yayo, okuhlanganisa nezindawo eziboshwe ngokungemthetho zase-Ukraine, ukuchithile ukugxekwa kwaseNtshonalanga ngokuthi lezo zitatimende zifana ne-nuclear-rattling.
Uthe “akuyona into edala ukwanda kwezingxabano, kodwa into yokuvimbela”.
