Category
Latest news

Putin Says Russia “Forced” Into War by 2014 Ukraine “Coup” and Donbas Violence

2 min read
Authors
Photo of Liubava Petriv
Liubava Petriv
Author
Putin Says Russia “Forced” Into War by 2014 Ukraine “Coup” and Donbas Violence
Russian leader Vladimir Putin gestures during his meeting with local business leaders at the Saint Yekeaterina’s Hall of the Kremlin, May 26, 2025 in Moscow, Russia. (Source: Getty Images)

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine continues into its third year, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has once again sought to justify the war by referencing political events in Ukraine from over a decade ago.

Speaking on May 26 during a meeting with Russian business leaders, Putin echoed longstanding Kremlin narratives and suggested Russia was unfairly blamed for launching the war.

“Russia was forced to respond to what was happening in Ukraine and is being made out to be the guilty party, but Moscow did not organize the bloody coup of 2014,” Putin said.

Putin questioned the portrayal of Ukraine as a democracy following the Maidan uprising and claimed that the West turned a blind eye to violence in the Donbas region.

“All the time they told us about democracy and elections… But there was a coup in Ukraine, and that was it. Apparently, that was acceptable. A bloody coup. And then they began suppressing Donbas, destroying people there from helicopters and aircraft. Well, they simply forced us to do what we are doing now.”

Earlier, it was reported that Russia conducted its third consecutive large-scale aerial and drone assault on Ukraine overnight on May 26, killing at least six people and injuring 24 across several regions.

See all