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I did not want my people killed. I did not want bloodshed.

The 9/11 strikes left an indelible impact on our minds, but in relative terms, the scale of casualties actually wasn't all that high.

One thing we cannot put a number on is the number of casualties because people were never connected to their purpose in life.

Unfortunately, in war, there are casualties, including among the civilian population.

I think my resignation was the only way to avoid bloodshed.

When it comes to civilian deaths, violent hostilities play no favorites.

I thought I was going to be killed. The casualties were so heavy, it was just a given. I learned to take each day, each mission, as it came. That's an attitude I've carried into my professional life. I take each case, each job, as it comes.

I think it is tragic that a situation should arise where civilians on any side are killed. But it is almost a cliche to say that it is virtually unavoidable and this isn't unique to us alone.

But on second thought, after I decreed the state of emergency, I came to the conclusion that that was impossible to achieve without bloodshed because the street protesters were full of anger and nearly out of control. This is why I thought we needed to find another way out.

My plan was to land in Red Square, but there were too many people and I thought I'd cause casualties.