Russia's Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Moscow's Armed Forces are not attacking Ukrainian cities, but are instead targeting Ukraine's military infrastructure using precision weapons.

"Precision weapons are degrading military infrastructure, air defense facilities, military aerodromes and aviation of the Ukrainian armed forces," the ministry said, further adding that there is no threat to civilians.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also had a televised address on Thursday morning, in which he said that he made a decision to carry out a special military operation in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics.

"Leading NATO countries pursue their own goal by fully supporting Ukraine's extreme Nazis and neo-Nazis, who, in turn, will never forgive the people of Crimea and Sevastopol for their free choice to reunify with Russia", said the Russian president.

"They will, of course, go to Crimea, like to Donbass, the way they do it, to kill, like executioners from the bands of Ukrainian Nazi supporters of Hitler were killing innocent people during World War II".

On Wednesday, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) foiled a terrorist attempt to bomb an Orthodox Church in Crimea, arresting six who belong to a banned right-wing party, the Right Sector. 

Last month, German Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schonbach said that Crimea, despite Kiev’s attempts to pressure Russia, will never return to Ukraine.

"Crimea is gone, and it will never come back," he said at a conference hosted by India's Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses.