Vladimir Putin used the anniversary of a Soviet space milestone to strike a defiant tone about his war in Ukraine on Tuesday. The Russian leader traveled to a space facility 61 years to the day after Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space, reports Reuters. "The sanctions were total, the isolation was complete but the Soviet Union was still first in space," Putin said. "We don't intend to be isolated," he added, referring to the modern sanctions imposed on his nation. "It is impossible to severely isolate anyone in the modern world—especially such a vast country as Russia." In regard to the war, which he refers to as a "special military operation," Putin declared that "there’s no doubt that the goals and objectives in operation in Ukraine will be fulfilled," per CNBC.
Putin again said Russia invaded Ukraine because his nation's security was at stake, given Ukraine's drift toward the West. "Its goals are absolutely clear and noble," Putin said of the war. "It's clear that we didn't have a choice. It was the right decision." Russian troops, having failed to take Kyiv and other major cities, appear to have begun a more focused assault on the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, reports CNN. Reports differed on that, with the BBC saying a major assault was at least imminent. Earlier, a large column of Russian military vehicles was spotted headed toward the region. Meanwhile, reports of atrocities committed against Ukraine civilians continued to surface in Kyiv and elsewhere, and the US is looking into reports that Russia has deployed chemical weapons. (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
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