Putin's claims that Ukraine is committing genocide are baseless, but not unprecedented

A woman and child walk away from a damaged residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine, where a military shell allegedly hit on Feb. 25, 2022. Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images

Ideas abound about why Russian President Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. But Putin himself offered one unexpected – and unfounded – justification on Feb. 23 during a televised speech.

“The purpose of this operation is to protect people who, for eight years now, have been facing humiliation and genocide perpetrated by the Kyiv regime,” Putin said.