JAKARTA - The main spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that Russia had not yet achieved its military objectives in Ukraine, despite nearly a month's time since their February 24 invasion.
Having failed to capture the capital Kyiv or any other major city with a swift offensive, Russia is waging a war that has left some urban areas in ruins.
In an interview with CNN, Dmitry Peskov said during a meeting with Russian defense officials he said officials in leading NATO countries had allowed themselves to make aggressive comments about Russia.
"Therefore I hereby order the Minister of Defense and the Chief of General Staff to place the Russian Army Deterrence Force on combat alert status," he said, quoted by CNN March 23.
When asked what President Putin thinks he has achieved in Ukraine so far, Peskov replied: "Yes, first of all, not yet. He hasn't achieved it yet."
The spokesman also claimed that the special military operation was taking place strictly according to the plans and objectives that had been set in advance."
Peskov also repeated President Putin's demands, saying the main aim of the operation was to "eliminate the military potential of Ukraine," to ensure Ukraine is a "neutral state," to get rid of the "nationalist battalion."
In addition, also to ensure that Ukraine accepts Crimea as part of Russia, and accepts Donetsk and Lugansk which have declared secession as independent countries.
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Earlier he said "no one" ever thought the operation in Ukraine would take only a few days and a campaign would be planned, the TASS news agency reported.
The nearly month-long invasion has forced more than 3.5 million people to flee, brought Russia's unprecedented economic isolation, raising fears of a wider conflict in the West unthinkable for decades.
The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday it had recorded 953 civilian deaths and 1,557 injuries since the invasion. The Kremlin denies targeting civilians.
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