According to Putin, the goal of the operation is to liberate Donbass, to defend the people living there, and "to create conditions that will guarantee the security of Russia itself".
"The work is proceeding in a calm and rhythmic way. The troops are advancing and reaching those endpoints that are assigned as a task at a certain stage of this combat work. Everything is going according to plan," Putin said on Wednesday wrapping up his visit to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, TASS reported.
When asked about a possible deadline for finishing the war, the Russian president said, "There is no need to talk about any deadlines. I never talk about it, since this is life and these are real things. It is not right to squeeze that into any deadlines.
"It is linked to the intensity of combat operations, which is directly linked to potential casualties, and we must think above all things about protecting our guys’ lives," the Russian president stated.