Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday, Feb. 24 – the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – that while some objectives have been achieved, others remain unmet, and Moscow will continue its military campaign until they are fulfilled.
“Many of them have been achieved,” Peskov claimed, referring to what Russia calls its war on Ukraine – a “special military operation,” he said, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS.
“The main goal is to ensure the security of people who lived and live in eastern Ukraine, who were indeed in mortal danger. That is the main goal,” Peskov told reporters.
At the same time, he acknowledged that Russia has not yet fulfilled all of its stated aims.
“Not all of the goals of the special military operation have been achieved,” he said.
Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, framing it as a measure to protect Russian-speaking populations in the east – a justification rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies.
Ukraine and its partners have accused Russia of waging an unprovoked war of aggression and committing widespread violations of international law.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the war, he described it as a “special military operation” aimed at preventing NATO’s expansion and “protecting” Russian-speaking populations in eastern Ukraine – claims widely rejected by Kyiv and Western governments as pretexts for unprovoked aggression.
Four years later, Russia continues to occupy about one-fifth (roughly 20%) of Ukraine’s internationally recognised territory, largely in the east and south, including a land corridor to Crimea.
The conflict has inflicted massive economic damage on Ukraine: a report on the eve of the anniversary estimated the cost of reconstruction and recovery at around $588 billion, with direct damages to housing, transport and energy infrastructure now at least $195 billion.
Despite the Kremlin’s claims of progress, Ukrainian and international officials argue that Russia has failed to achieve its core objectives in four years of grinding war, even as the human and economic toll continues to mount, with prolonged fighting, displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure marking another year of conflict.