Lavrov: Donbas is an 'unconditional priority' for Moscow

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced on Sunday that the “liberation” of Ukraine’s Donbas region is an "unconditional priority" for the Kremlin, while other Ukrainian regions have been invited to choose their own political destiny.

Lavrov made the comments during an interview with France's TF1 television channel just as Russian forces continued their push to gain control of key towns in Donbas – Ukraine’s industrial capital made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

"The liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, recognised by the Russian Federation as independent states, is an unconditional priority," Lavrov said, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

With regards to other Ukrainian territories, Lavrov said, “I do not believe that they will be happy to return to the authority of a neo-Nazi regime that has proven it is Russophobic in essence. These people must decide for themselves.”

Following Putin’s rhetoric, the foreign minister claimed Moscow’s “special military operation” became “inevitable” after Western capitals failed to address Russia’s concerns over what the Kremlin has called a disregard for the lives and safety of Ukraine’s Russian speaking citizens.

In recent weeks, Russian forces have focused on overtaking the Donbas after retreating from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and other regions. Lavrov, for his part, however, has stated that Russian forces have been under strict orders to preserve Ukrainian civilian lives.

"Yes, people are being killed," Lavrov said. "But the operation is taking so much time primarily because Russian soldiers taking part are under strict orders categorically to avoid attacks and strikes on civilian infrastructure."

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin first announced the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, thousands of civilians have been killed or wounded and upwards of 6.7 million refugees have fled the country.

According to a Reuters report, there are approximately 14,388 cases of alleged Russian war crimes being investigated by Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office and several Russian soldiers have already pled guilty in cases of shelling Ukraine and killing civilians.