Putin was asked why Russian troops destroy homes of Russian-speaking Ukrainians. He said the areas were under Kyiv control, and people could vote in a referendum.
The Indian journalist asked Putin why his Russian troops are destroying the homes of Ukrainians who supposedly had friendly attitudes toward Russia and were Russian-speaking. She said that people in eastern Ukraine were shocked by Russia’s actions. Toronto Television reported this on X.
In response, Putin said he did not understand what they were shocked about, claiming they had simply been “on the wrong side” of Luhansk or Donetsk.
According to him, he had given them “a chance to express themselves in the referendum,” and those who did not want to vote for Russia “could have left their homes.”
Journalist Geeta Mohan: You mentioning the history, and it brings me to what I did when the conflict was underway. I had traveled to Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and most of the people over there are Russian speaking. They speak Russian language. They were very disappointed that Kyiv had banned it in eastern Ukraine. But they also were a little shocked: How is Putin doing this to us? We are his people. A lot of women I spoke to were in shock. So what do you have to say to people in eastern Ukraine who actually have families in Russia, who on a daily basis move from Ukraine to Russia? So what do you have to say to them?
Putin: I don’t understand the question. Shocked by what?
Journalist Geeta Mohan: People I met were shocked that an operation had been launched in the course of which their homes were destroyed. They had lived in eastern Ukraine and had always loved Russia and the Russian people, and they themselves were Russian-speaking.
Putin: The answer is very simple. They lived in that part of Ukraine — in that part of Luhansk or Donetsk region which was under the control of the Kyiv authorities. But the part of Luhansk or Donetsk region that was not under their control was being destroyed by the Kyiv regime. And we were forced to support the part that declared its independence. That is the first point. And second, we gave people the opportunity to express themselves in an open referendum: those who considered it purposeful to be together with Russia voted for it, and those who did not could calmly go to other parts of the Ukrainian state. Please, we did not hinder this.
