Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the Russian Federation has no intention of destroying Ukraine.

Speaking to journalists after a summit with regional leaders in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, President Putin said, “What is happening today is not pleasant, to put things mildly,”. “But at the same time, if Russia hadn’t attacked, Russia would have been in the same situation, only the conditions would have been worse for us. So we’re doing everything correctly and at the right time.”

President Putin also said that if Ukraine had not cut the water supply to Crimea, where 2.4 million people live there would have been no retaliatory actions, but we didn’t have any other options apart from entering the area and reopening the water supply to Crimea.

President Putin said it was not Russia’s intention to destroy Ukraine, but he did not regret the invasion as Ukraine was joining NATO and playing according to the west to weaken Russian Federation.

He said most of the designated targets had been hit, and the recent stike had destroyed 22 out of the 29 targets in Ukraine set by the military and that they are getting the remaining seven.

He also said that the wave of missile strikes on cities across Ukraine recently was the retaliation for a blast which damaged a key bridge between Russia and annexed Crimea.

Meanwhile, Analyst says that all this comes after the Russian forces are retreating where the Ukraine is advancing its attack and Russia’s influence in the region is declining.