Putin calls West a 'direct instigator & perpetrator' of what is happening in Ukraine

As the brutal conflict between Russia and Ukraine enters its fifth month, with Russian troops still fighting against the ex-soviet war-torn state, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the "West is the direct instigator and perpetrator of war in Ukraine". Speaking at the meeting held at the Catherine's Hall of the Kremlin with State Duma officials and heads of political parties of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Kremlin leader lambasted the western nations, stating that the conflict was "instigated" by the Western nations that attempted a coup d'état of the 2014 far-right Ukrainian government, in which they ousted the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych. 

 He stated that western nations "provoked a conflict" via Ukraine to fight against Russia. "This collaborative West is the direct instigator and perpetrator of what is happening in Ukraine."

Putin also invited the West to fight a war, saying that if the West thinks it can defeat Russia on the battlefield, it is welcome to try. He slammed the US and its allies for showing "unfriendly and hostile actions" against Russia.

Meanwhile, during the meeting with leaders of the Kremlin, Putin warned Kyiv that it should immediately accept the Kremlin's terms or prepare for the worst, adding that Russia "hasn't even yet started anything in earnest". He accused the US and its allies of the current situation in Ukraine, adding that they want us to kill the last Ukrainian alive. 

"The West wants to fight us until the last Ukrainian," he added, saying that "it's a tragedy for the Ukrainian people, but it looks like it's heading in that direction."

36,900 Russian soldiers eliminated since the onset of war: Kyiv 

Ever since Putin announced war against neighbouring Ukraine, hostilities between both nations have increased, resulting in the deaths of thousands along with massive damage in the war-hit nation. On Friday, Ukraine's Armed Forces claimed that they had killed 36,900 Russian soldiers since the onset of the war. In addition to this, the statement released by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine read that Moscow has lost 1637 tanks, 828 artillery systems, 3811 armoured combat vehicles, 155 cruise missiles, 66 special equipment, 247 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), 107 anti-aircraft warfare systems, 217 aircraft, 187 helicopters, 2685 vehicles, and fuel tanks, or boats, as well as 669 unmanned aerial vehicles, among other things.

Image: AP/ Representative