Russia will step by step carefully and consistently solve the tasks of a special military operation (SMO), Russian President Vladimir Putin said during his address to the Russian Federal Assembly on Tuesday, February 21, Izvestia reported.

He recalled that before the start of the special operation, Donbas believed and waited for Russia to come to its aid. At the same time, Russia, according to the president, was doing everything to solve the problems by peaceful means, but behind its back a completely different scenario was being prepared.

"Since 2014, Donbass has fought to defend the right to live and speak their native language. Believed and waited for Russia to come to the rescue. We did our best to solve the problem by peaceful means. But another scenario was being prepared behind our back," the Russian leader said.