Putin says Western sanctions amount to a declaration of war

Putin reiterated that his goals in Ukraine are to defend Russian-speaking communities by “demilitarizing and denazifying” the country to be neutral.
Ukraine and Western countries have rejected this as an unfounded pretext for the invasion it launched on February 24 and have imposed a wide range of sanctions aimed at isolating Moscow.
“These sanctions that are being imposed are similar to a declaration of war, but thank God it has not come to that,” Putin said, addressing a group of flight attendants at an Aeroflot training center near Moscow.
He said any attempt by another power to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine would be seen by Russia as a step towards military conflict. NATO has rejected Kiev’s request to establish a no-fly zone, saying it would escalate the war beyond Ukraine.
Putin said there are no recruits involved in the military operation, which he says is being carried out only by professional soldiers.
“There is not a single recruit and we don’t plan for there to be,” Putin said. “Our army will fulfill all the tasks. I don’t doubt it at all. Everything is going according to plan.”
Putin dismissed concerns that some kind of martial law or emergency situation could be declared in Russia. According to him, such a measure is imposed only when there is a significant internal or external threat.
“We do not plan to introduce any kind of special regime on Russian territory; it is not currently necessary,” he said.
His government has cracked down on protests in Russia against the war.

Original source in Spanish