Putin Claims Ukraine Invasion Was Mandated by Divine Will

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Sunday that his choice to launch an invasion of Ukraine three years ago was aligned with what he termed “God’s will.”

“It was by God’s will that we were entrusted with the responsibility of undertaking this difficult yet honorable mission of safeguarding Russia,” Putin remarked to soldiers during a Kremlin ceremony where he awarded them national honors.

On February 24, 2022, Putin sent troops into Ukraine, claiming it was necessary to stop a supposed “genocide” against Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine and to “demilitarize and denazify” the nation.

Since that time, Russia has altered its objectives in the war to focus on acquiring territory in southeastern Ukraine. The Kremlin has consistently pledged to carry on with its so-called “special military operation” until “all its goals are fulfilled.”

Putin reportedly believes that Russia has accomplished its primary objectives in Ukraine and has grown increasingly worried about the war’s economic impact domestically, according to unnamed sources familiar with Kremlin perspectives that spoke with Reuters last month.

This conflict— the largest in Europe since World War II—has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of military personnel and civilians, displaced millions of Ukrainians, and devastated cities in the southern and eastern regions of the country.

In Russia, anti-war demonstrations have been outlawed, leading to activists being imprisoned, forced into hiding, or compelled to flee the country.