Putin said that inaction by the Russian Federation in 2022 would be a crime against the people

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia's inaction in 2022 would be a crime against the nation.

The head of state noted that Russia should have acted "more decisively and in a timely manner" when it launched the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine. He added that it should have prepared and chosen the right moment.

"A crime can be committed either by action or inaction. Our inaction would have been a crime against the interests of Russia and its people," he said in an interview with VGTRK journalist Pavel Zarubin, who published the Dec. 22 excerpt in his Telegram channel.

Putin added that he should have oriented himself earlier and realized that the West was "leading Russia around by the nose" and was not going to fulfill the Minsk agreements. He recalled that later the leaders of the West themselves admitted it. According to the head of state, their only goal was to allocate time for the rearmament of the Ukrainian army.

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During the "Results of the Year" on December 19, Putin said that the decision to start Russia's NWO in Ukraine should have been taken earlier. At that time, the head of state said that the decision on the special operation was made because "it was impossible to stand still further, to tolerate and wait" until the situation for the state began to deteriorate.

Prior to that, on December 16, Putin said that 2024 was a milestone year in terms of achieving the goals of the SWO. He added that Russian troops have a firm grip on the strategic initiative along the entire line of contact thanks to the professionalism and courage of the Russian Armed Forces, the work of defense enterprises and the nationwide support of the army and navy.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the beginning of which Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.