The deputy head of the Russian Security Council said that Russia still wants to turn the Ukrainian state into a "normal neighbor".
The plan to start a full-scale invasion of Ukraine was prepared and approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council and president of the country in 2008-2012, said this in an interview with RIA Novosti.
"The course of the operation, the plans for its conduct are determined by the supreme commander-in-chief. According to the Constitution, it is the president (of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin). The president has given his assessments. The operation is developing according to the plan. This plan has been prepared and approved by the Commander-in-Chief," Medvedev said.
The Russian official also said that the Russian authorities will continue to seek Ukraine's neutral status, the abolition of the "anti-Russian" policy on its territory, "demilitarization" and the transformation of the state into a "normal neighbor."
"Therefore, until the results on the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine are achieved, the operation must continue, as it was conceived by the president of the country," Medvedev added.
According to Mykhail Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Presidential Office, Medvedev publicly recorded with his statement that "the decision to conduct a heavy special operation (war) against Ukraine, involving attacks on peaceful cities, was made by the Russian president alone."
"An important symptom - the ruling elite is trying to distance itself, understanding the legal consequences," Mykhail Podolyak wrote on Twitter.
As a reminder, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, the Russian elite is considering removing Putin from power and is considering various ways to do so, including poisoning.
.@MedvedevRussia publicly stated that the decision to conduct the hardest special operation (war) against , including attacks on peaceful cities, was made solely by President. The ruling elite is trying to distance itself, understanding the legal consequences.
