Putin insists invading Ukraine was the 'right decision' as Russia keeps getting pummeled with sanctions and losing elite troops

Russian President Vladimir Putin defended the invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday as his country continued to lose troops and face economic sanctions.

Putin said during a visit to the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's far eastern Amur region that the goals are clear and noble. It was the right decision.

The invasion of Ukraine was justified by Putin as a way to repel the US and NATO from eastward expansion.

He said that Russia needed to demilitarize and that the government in Ukraine was a lie.

His comments came as Russia continued to lose weaponry and elite troops in the fighting in Ukraine. Russian troops were ill-equipped to fight in the face of Ukrainian resistance, a scenario they did not expect.

An investigation by the British Broadcasting Corporation found that Russia lost between thousands and millions of dollars in Ukraine.

The US and the EU have imposed sanctions against Russian businesses and individuals.

Putin said that they don't intend to be isolated. It is not possible to severely isolated anyone in the modern world, especially a country like Russia.

Alexander Lukashenko, one of Putin's top allies who has also been hit with sanctions by the Western countries over Ukraine, was at the cosmodrome on Tuesday. Russia borders the east and northeast of Ukraine.

Russian troops have left northern Ukraine in the last few days as Ukrainian forces regained control of many towns and cities. Russia is regrouping in the east of the country for an attack on the Donbas region.