On Feb. 24, 2022, I—Vladimir Putin—sent troops into Ukraine to conduct a special military operation. As the president of Russia, I obviously expected resistance from leaders of certain key world powers, but I must say I’ve been surprised at how the United States, specifically, has reacted.
We have to take into consideration that if Russia did annex Ukraine, it would likely lead to extreme amounts of sufferring anyway - possibly including civil war, insurgency etc. that could go on for decades.