Russian dictator vladimir putin said during a live call-in session with russians that the so-called "special military operation" ("SMO") should have started earlier because Ukraine "did not comply with the Minsk agreements." This was reported by russian media on December 19.
When asked, "If you could go back to February 2022, would you change your decision?" putin responded that the "SMO" should have started earlier.
"The decision made at the beginning of 2022 should have been made earlier, that's the first point. Secondly, we should have started preparing, including for the 'SMO'. For instance, the events in Crimea were spontaneous. The events of 2022 also began without preparation. But why did we start? Because it was no longer possible to stand still and endure", - putin said.
He also justified the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by alleging that the Ukrainian authorities refused to comply with the Minsk agreements and that russia was "forced" into action.