Russian President Vladimir Putin has laid responsibility for the tragedy in Donbass on the Ukrainian "neo-Nazi regime", as well as stressing that all of Moscow's attempts to resolve the issue peacefully have failed.
"This [tragedy] is the result of the actions of the nationalist, neo-Nazi regime, which seized power [in Ukraine] by force in 2014 and then launched hostilities in Donbass. It conducted two major military operations [in Donbass] using artillery, aviation, heavy equipment, and so on. And this is what is still happening there," Putin said.
The president stated that it was Russia's obligation to help the people of Donbass, who, he said, were bravely defending their land at times better than professional military.
Moscow launched the special military operation in Ukraine at the orders of Putin following the request from the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) to defend them against the attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. These attacks have continued with differing intensity over the past eight years since the DPR and LPR announced their independence. Putin described Kiev's actions in Donbass as "genocide".
The two republics declared their independence in 2014 in response to an illegal coup that took place in Kiev and brought nationalist-minded politicians to power. The Donbass republics and their mostly Russian-speaking population feared that the new authorities would infringe upon their rights – especially the right to use and study their language of choice.