Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia isn’t fighting Ukrainians, but those who use them as cannon fodder.

During a meeting with the mothers of the soldiers taking part in the war in Ukraine, Putin explained that "unlike those who we have to deal with, and in that sense, we have to fight not them, but those who supply everything to them and pay for it, uses them as cannon fodder, as a matter of fact. That’s not an exaggeration: They don’t have any regard for the cost to human life, no regard at all."

The Russian President also highlighted that Ukrainian troops execute each other, saying that "those who misbehave get executed by shooting before the unit formation. Our guys saw it with their own eyes. Bodies of those who were executed lie about and don’t get picked up."

He revealed that in a recent case, "five people were executed by shooting before the unit formation. They were the people who refused to go or left their positions," adding that this is "another confirmation that we are dealing with a neo-Nazi regime, that’s not an exaggeration."

In a related context, Putin said that it is now clear that the reunification of Russia and Donbass should have happened earlier.

"Now, it has become pretty obvious that this reunification should have happened earlier. Maybe there would not have been so many civilian casualties, and there would not have been so many children killed by bombardments," he indicated.

Soldiers taking part in Ukraine war "are real heroes"

During the meeting, Putin considered that soldiers taking part in the war in Ukraine "know that they are real heroes."

"Only they and their commanders, who are fighting shoulder to shoulder with them, know how hard and how dangerous for life and health it is," he said.

The Russian President also revealed that he had spoken over the phone with several of these soldiers, adding that their mood gives him "all the grounds to say that they are heroes indeed."

Putin promised the soldiers' mothers that he will try to take into account everything that they tell him on Friday.

Internet brimming with "fake news and information attacks"

Elsewhere in his statement, he highlighted that information from the internet cannot be trusted and the world wide web is brimming with "fake news and information attacks."

"It is clear that life is more complex and diverse than the way it is shown on TV screens or even on the Internet, where nothing can be trusted at all," he said.

Putin indicated that "there are heaps of fake news, deceit, and lies. There are many information attacks. It has always been like this, but with the advent of modern technologies this has become especially relevant and effective."

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