Vladimir Putin says Ukraine has ‘chosen terror’ over peace

Commenting on reports that Russian security forces prevented a terrorist attack in Crimea this weekend allegedly orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence agents, Vladimir Putin said today that “Ukraine is choosing terror.” 

The Russian president said he believes officials in Kiev are trying to provoke a conflict with Moscow, in order to distract the Ukrainian people from “the robbery committed against them” by their own government.

“Apparently, the people who seized power in Kiev and remain in power have chosen the practice of terror, instead of looking for compromise or peaceful settlements,” the president said.

“There's no other reason for committing such acts, except to divert the attention of their own people from Ukraine's catastrophic economic situation, and from the misery that a significant number of Ukrainian citizens are now experiencing. There's no other explanation,” Putin said.

The president mentioned the recent attempt on the life of the rebel leader Igor Plotnitsky, who heads the separatist Luhansk People's Republic, and the incident in Crimea that claimed two Russian soldiers. “Of course, we won't ignore things like this,” Putin warned.