Speaking at his annual online press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin, having been just briefed by the Chief of Staff on the latest military developments, indicated that Russian troops are moving forward on all fronts in the Ukraine war, with the greatest retaking of territory having happened in the last month.
There were still questions about the battle for Seversk. At a meeting of the Security Council, Putin had also asked about Seversk, and he therefore invited a company commander in the region, Naran Ochir-Goryayev, an acclaimed Hero of Russia, to the briefing to give his account. He reported that Russian troops were already well west of Seversk, having secured the city. The decision was then made to have Ochir-Goryayev come and brief the press conference. He also added that Ukrainian troops, who were withdrawing, simply killed younger and elderly people in the village who did not want to leave with them.
Putin added: “Naran [Ochir-Goryayev] has told us about how the Ukrainian military mistreat civilians. He did not say this now, but he mentioned it when we talked in the Kremlin: ‘When we saw what they did to civilians, we couldn’t wait to get our hands on them.’ Did you say this, Naran? ‘We are ready to keep fighting to finish off that viper.’ Do you understand? When they saw what was done to people, to civilians.… Grannies were shot and killed by drones.… He is a modest man, and it is probably the first time he is in the same room with so many people, but he said this to me.”
