Russia warns the is ‘playing with fire’ when supporting Ukraine
Russia warns that the West is “playing with fire” when considering allowing Ukraine to launch attacks deeper into Russian territory using missiles provided by the West. Ukraine launched an attack on Russia’s western Kursk region on August 6 and later gained partial control of the area. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow would retaliate accordingly.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the West is seeking to escalate the conflict in Ukraine and is “causing a disaster” by considering Ukraine’s request to lift restrictions on the use of foreign-supplied weapons.
Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Mr. Lavrov said: “We reiterate that playing with fire is extremely dangerous, especially for Western countries entrusted with nuclear weapons.”
Mr. Lavrov also mentioned that Russia is “clarifying” this nuclear doctrine.
Russia’s current nuclear doctrine states that the country could use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack or a conventional attack that poses an “existential threat”. Since 2022, President Putin has repeatedly warned of the risk of a much broader conflict involving the world’s largest nuclear powers, although he emphasized that Russia does not want conflict with the Treaty Organization. North Atlantic (NATO).
Regarding the attack on Kursk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in early August that Ukraine’s attack on Russia’s Kursk region proved that the Kremlin’s threats of retaliation were just “empty words.” “. Zelensky urged allies to be bolder in decisions about how to support Kiev.
Russia claims that Western weapons, including British tanks and American missile systems, were used by Ukraine in Kursk. Kyiv confirmed using US HIMARS missiles to destroy bridges in Kursk.
The US previously stated that Ukraine did not inform Washington about the Kursk incursion on August 6 and emphasized that the country was not involved in any aspect of Ukraine’s operation.
Reuters reported on August 27 that Sergey Naryshkin, head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), emphasized that Moscow does not trust Western assertions. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also stated that US participation in Ukraine’s Kursk operation is “a self-evident truth”.
The New York Times reported that the United Kingdom and the United States provided satellite images and other intelligence to Ukraine in the days after Ukraine’s attack on Kursk. The report said that this intelligence was intended to help Ukraine better monitor Russian reinforcements.
