Putin tells Valdai forum Russia never started the war, claims it is the victim of aggression

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin again defended the war he launched in Ukraine more than four years ago, telling the Valdai discussion club's plenary session on Thursday that Russia is actually the victim of aggression rather than the aggressor. He insisted the war had been started against Russia, not by it.

Putin accused Ukraine of fostering "aggressive nationalism and Russophobia" for years and blamed NATO for allegedly planning to militarily seize what he called Russia's "historical territories." He also claimed Ukraine and NATO had planned to build "concentration camps" in Crimea and Donbas, and referenced the May 2, 2014 clashes in Odesa, in which 48 people died, most of them pro-Russian attackers.

Nuclear threats

During his speech, Putin called on countries to "live together peacefully" with Russia, while simultaneously warning that any attack on the Kaliningrad region would prompt Russia to consider using all weapons at its disposal, including nuclear arms. He claimed Russia possesses weapons that no other country has.

The dictator also complained that Ukraine receives military aid from abroad, while claiming Russia itself receives no weapons from other countries.

Shifting justifications over the years

Putin's explanations for starting the war have shifted repeatedly. Recently his adviser Anton Kobyakov claimed Russia had preempted a planned Ukrainian invasion of Russia by two weeks, without mentioning that Russia itself had been massing troops near Ukraine's border since spring 2021. Similar claims about an alleged planned Ukrainian attack have previously been made by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.