Russia to achieve 'noble' aims of Ukraine military operation

Speaking at an awards ceremony at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East, Putin was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies that said Moscow had no other choice but to launch a military operation to protect Russia and that a clash with Ukraine's anti-Russian forces had been inevitable, Reuters reported.

"Its goals are absolutely clear and noble," Putin said of Russia's military campaign.

Putin said the main objective of Moscow's military operation in Ukraine was to save people in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

"On the one hand, we are helping and saving people, and on the other, we are simply taking measures to ensure the security of Russia itself," Putin said. "It's clear that we didn't have a choice. It was the right decision."