Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 24, 2022
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 24, 2022
Putin says ‘no other way’ to defend Russia other than invade Ukraine
Demonstrators hold a placard reading 'Choke Putin' in front of the Chancellery in Berlin as they protest, on February 24, 2022, against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (John Macdougall/AFP)
Russian President Putin said that Moscow had no other choice but to invade Ukraine to ensure Russia’s security, speaking hours after his army crossed his ex-Soviet neighbor’s borders.
“What was happening left us with no choice,” the Russian leader says during a televised meeting with business representatives, adding that “we had no other way of proceeding.”
