A Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told U.S. media outlet CNN that the Russian military operation in Ukraine was proceeding strictly according to plan.Peskov said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had not yet achieved his goal in Ukraine but that things are going according to plan. Russia describes the invasion of Ukraine as a special operation.
This is a serious operation with serious goals, Peskov assured in English, adding that Moscow aimed to eliminate Ukraine’s military potential.The spokesman reiterated the fact that the Russian army only targets military and not civilian targets, while blaming nationalist regiments that not only try to protect themselves behind human shields, thus opening the way to civilian casualties.
Among the Kremlin’s objectives, the spokesman suggests that Russia wants Ukraine to recognize Crimea as an unassailable part of Russia and that the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk are already independent states.The U.S. government and Ukraine have been saying for several days that the Russian armed forces have been slowed down by major logistical difficulties and are making little progress, especially in the north and east of the countr