"Putin described the "special military operation" in limited terms, to
protect people living in 
Donbas who, he claimed, had been subjected to
"genocide," a charge that Ukraine has strenuously denied. But in the
next breath, he lashed out more broadly: "NATO supports Ukrainian
neo-Nazis ... our actions are self-defense against threats."
Then,
in an extraordinary passage, he spoke directly to members of Ukraine's
military, at that very moment in the crosshairs of the Russian military.
Addressing them as "dear comrades," he told them they had taken an
"oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people, and not to the anti-people
junta that is robbing Ukraine and abuses those same people."
"Don't follow its criminal orders!" he demanded. "I urge you to lay down your weapons and go home."
Putin, who for years had criticized the West for ignoring his complaints
about NATO's expansion toward Russia's borders, was finally striking
back with fury. "I hope," he concluded his short address, "that I have
been heard." CNN
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