Putin gave that as one of the reasons for starting this operation. The Ukrainians have shelling the Donbas since 2014.
No elections due to the "security situation." Martial law, total censorship, etc.

Zelensky was pushing to join NATO that Biden was open to accepting.
Zelensky refused to negotiate with Russia over these matters.
Zelensky continued to destabilize the situation with the blessing of Biden
Remember, Obama and Putin are buddies. They work together. This whole situation smells of a setup to trigger a nuclear exchange that can lead to The Great Reset. Putin will go down in history as helping usher in the communist domination of the West.
There are no "good guys" here, folks.
And why would they start shelling the their own territory and people? Inquiring minds want to know, mcgruff? Did the big bad Ukrainians woke up one day in 2014 and said: “Let’s bomb some parts of our beloved Ukraine, just for the hell of it? Is it what really happened, historian mcgruff?