The Russian invasion of Ukraine has everyone wondering what\u2019s on Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s mind and why he chose to attack now. Well, Putin finally spoke about the attack. During a pro-war rally in Moscow on Friday night, Putin cited the words of Jesus Christ to justify his invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the crowd in a turtleneck and down winter coat, Putin said he ordered the invasion \u201cto get people out of their misery, out of this genocide, that is the main reason, the motive, and purpose of the military operation that we began in Donbas and Ukraine,\u201d according to\u00a0The Washington Post<\/em>. Russia has continually\u00a0accused\u00a0the Ukrainian government of committing\u00a0genocide\u00a0in separatist-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd this is where the words from the Scriptures come to my mind: \u2018There is no greater love than if someone gives his soul for his friends,\u2019\u201d Putin continued, paraphrasing\u00a0John 15:13.<\/p>\n Both the\u00a0Post<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0ABC News\u00a0translate the Russian word \u0434\u0443\u0448\u0443 (dushu) as \u201csoul,\u201d but most English translations of the passage use \u201clife.\u201d The verse is part of a long discourse Jesus delivered to his disciples as they traveled to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he was arrested and taken to be crucified after\u00a0ordering Simon Peter not to use force\u00a0to defend him.<\/p>\n Putin\u00a0identifies\u00a0as a\u00a0Russian Orthodox\u00a0Christian but has\u00a0expressed discomfort\u00a0with speaking publicly about his faith. When Putin was TIME\u2019s Person of the Year in 2007, the interviewer asked him if he believed in a Supreme God. Putin replied, \u201cThere are things I believe, which should not in my position, at least, be shared with the public at large for everybody\u2019s consumption because that would look like self-advertising or a political striptease.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked about what role faith should play in government, Putin said, \u201cFirst and foremost, we should be governed by common sense. But common sense should be based on moral principles first. And it is not possible today to have morality separated from religious values. I will not expand, as I don\u2019t want to impose my views on people who have different viewpoints.\u201d<\/p>\n Moscow police said more than 200,000 people attended the rally,\u00a0Al Jazeera\u00a0<\/em>reported. Polling shows that most Russians\u00a0support\u00a0the war in Ukraine, which\u00a0has already left\u00a0numerous Ukrainian civilians displaced, injured, and dead. Since the war began less than four weeks ago, about 3,780 residential buildings have been partially damaged, and 651 homes were destroyed across the country, the Ukraine Emergency Service said.<\/p>\n As far as when the war will end, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy\u00a0is prepared to negotiate a deal directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin to\u00a0end the war\u00a0that he said has left cities across his country bombed beyond recognition. The Russian invasion of Ukraine hasn\u2019t made sense to many people. However, Putin says the purpose of the attack was to get people out of their misery. He even went as far as quoting Scripture to get his point across. Let\u2019s hope that President Putin will look harder into the Bible and find it in his heart to end this war.<\/p>\n \u201cWords from the Holy Bible come to my head: there is no greater love than to lay down one\u2019s life for one\u2019s friends.\u201d<\/p>\n Russian President Vladimir Putin praises troops at a huge patriotic rally marking the eighth anniversary of the annexation of Ukraine\u2019s Crimea pic.twitter.com\/t1Ox5HuJQY<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 TRT World (@trtworld) March 19, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n