MOSCOW, January 31 – RIA Novosti. The press secretary of the Russian leader Dmitry Peskov said that before the start of special operations, Russia did not offer military assistance to the Donbass, but saw the militarization of Ukraine and the mood to solve the problem by force.

Answering the question whether the issue of military aid from Russia to Donbass was discussed eight years before the special operations began, Peskov said, “No, this issue was not discussed.”

He added that Russia is closely watching what is happening in Ukraine. “We saw the continued militarization of Ukraine. We saw that Ukraine was preparing to solve the problems of Donbass by force, which would naturally have destroyed the existence of the Minsk agreements, which were long forgotten at that time.” said the spokesperson, the President of the Russian Federation.

He stressed that the Kremlin considers launching a special military operation to be the right decision. “To save the people living in Donbas,” stressed the head of state’s press secretary.

Russia has been conducting a special military operation in Ukraine since February 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin described his mission as “protecting people who have been subjected to eight years of bullying and genocide by the Kyiv regime”. According to the president, the ultimate goal of the operation is the liberation of Donbass and the creation of conditions that guarantee Russia’s security.