Putin Ally Outrageously Claims Moscow Is 'Liberating' Russians From Ukraine

Vladimir Putin and one of his top supporters Sergei MarkovOne of Vladimir Putin’s allies claimed Moscow is “liberating” Russians from Ukraine with the ongoing conflict.Sergei Markov, a former adviser to the Russian president, tried to defend Putin’s three-year war by saying the invasion is not about “territory” but “stopping political repression”.Putin currently controls a fifth of Ukrainian land – Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea.Since invading in February 2022, he has repeatedly repressed any domestic opposition to his war, tightened his hold on the Russian media and removed any feasible political opponents to maintain his authoritarian grip on the country.And, even though Donald Trump’s administration supports the idea of ending the conflict on Putin’s terms – including giving occupied land to Ukraine – the Kremlin has refused to end its bombardments of its neighbour.Speaking on Times Radio, Markov insisted: “The main Russian demand, it is not territory.“Russian sent troops to Ukraine not to take territory but to liberate all Russians from political oppression.”Presenter Kait Borsay cut in: “Look, most of the international community, Sergei Markov, disagrees with you on that.“It’s not about liberating that territory, it is internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory which Russia is now occupying.“We will have to agree to disagree on that, because your statement on that is very clear.”“I told only our position!” Markov suddenly shouted back. “You told your position! I told my position. Normal dialogue is where we have different positions.”He said Russian demands mean “stopping political repression against Russian language, stopping political repression against the Orthodox Church, stopping political repression against political activists”.He said there are “thousands” of reasons why Russians need to be liberated from Ukraine. “It is a very important part of the Russian demand,” he added.The Kremlin has often excused its “special military operation” by claiming Russia simply wants to “denazify” Kyiv.This is a baseless claim – the war itself is seen as a land grab by most of the international community, and Putin’s inner circle has often indicated that they do not respect Ukrainian sovereignty at all.There is even an international arrest warrant out for Putin as he has been accused of abducting children from Ukraine and deporting them to Russia."Russia sent troops to Ukraine not to take territory but to liberate all Russians from political oppression."Times Radios @kaitborsay clashes with Putin's Former Adviser to Vladimir Putin Sergei Markov over whether Russia is "liberating" territory from Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/AOVm94XeXI— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) April 22, 2025Related...Russian Children Are Being 'Indoctrinated' To Boost Support For Putin's War, Says UKTrump Says Ukraine And Russia Could Agree Peace Deal 'This Week''They're Fake': Chinese Citizens Caught Fighting For Russia Tear Into Putin's Forces

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