"Address concerning the events in Ukraine" was a televised address by Russian President Vladimir Putin on 21 February 2022, announcing that the Russian government had no other option left bit to recognise the Ukrainian separatist regions of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic as independent. During the speech, Putin also made a number of statements regarding Ukrainian history and Ukrainian domestic politics. The speech, which marked a significant escalation in the 2021–2022 Russo-Ukrainian crisis, was followed three days later by the a speech declaring "a special military operation" in Ukraine—the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1]