Russia has told the world that it has “no choice” but to take military action in Ukraine.
voting in Russian-occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine
Some observers think the expected outcome could serve as a pretext for Russian President Vladimir Putin eventually to escalate the war further. Russia has offered a number of explanations for what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine. Lavrov recapped a couple: risks to Russia from what it considers a hostile government in Kyiv and a NATO alliance that has expanded eastward over the years and relieving Russians living in Ukraine — especially its eastern region of the Donbas — of what Moscow views as the Ukrainian government’s oppression.
The aim was “to remove the threats against our security, which NATO has been consistently creating in Ukraine,” he explained.
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