Vladimir Putin said that the tragedy in the Donbass forced the Russian Federation to launch a special operation

"Unfortunately, a lot has changed for the worse in the Luhansk People's Republic. Because all these eight years there continued bombing, artillery strikes and hostilities. And of course, it was very, very difficult for people. The life of people in the Crimea, Sevastopol was different - this is obvious", - the president said.

He stressed that "the tragedy that took place in the Donbass, including in the Luhansk People's Republic, forced Russia to launch this military operation".

“First of all, I said this at the very beginning, the purpose of this operation is to help our people living in Donbas”, - the head of state pointed out.