MOSCOW
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to put Russia’s nuclear forces on alert during the annexation of Crimea.
“In case of any negative developments, we were ready to put our nuclear forces on alert,” said Putin in a documentary on the annexation of Crimea that aired on Russian state TV.
The Russian president also confirmed that he was “personally involved” in the annexation.
“Do you know what our advantage was?” said Putin. “It was that I personally was involved in this operation.”
Putin added that his goal was not to annex Crimea, but to let people choose how they wanted to live, by organizing a referendum.
“In light of what was happening during that time in Ukraine, we couldn’t leave the people of Crimea alone,” he said.
According to Putin, Crimea was “transformed into a castle” ready for unexpected developments during last year’s referendum, where an overwhelming majority voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.
The EU and the Ukrainian government condemned the annexation as "illegal" and "illegitimate."
Saving Yanukovych’s life
Russia’s president also confirmed in the documentary that ousted pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was transported to Crimea and then to Russia by a Russian helicopter.
Putin claimed that the West, including America, was responsible for destabilizing Ukraine after supporting demonstrators.
Yanukovych was driven from office in February 2014 amid mass protests, which arose after he refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union and agreed to join Russia's Customs Union.
