Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Monday that the United States could face “deadly consequences” if it allowed Ukraine to use American weapons to attack targets on Russian territory.
Ryabkov is statement On Friday, U.S. officials reported that President Joe Biden had given Ukraine permission to attack Russian targets with U.S.-supplied weapons under certain circumstances. More specifically, Ukrainian forces have been authorized to attack Russian positions and launch devastating artillery and missile strikes against the border city of Kharkiv.
Germany also gave Ukraine permission on Friday to use its weapons against Russian targets in defense of Kharkiv. The Netherlands, Finland and Poland Expressed Like NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, I support allowing Ukraine to defend itself against attacks from Russian territory.
“I want to warn the American leaders not to make a miscalculation that could have fatal consequences. For reasons unknown, they are underestimating the seriousness of the rejection they may receive,” Ryabkov said. Said in a reaction quoted by Russian state media on Monday.
“Judging by the frivolousness of their approach, it seems they are wasting their time on some kind of video game, which they would be better off spending on a closer study of Putin’s statements,” Ryabkov dismissively advised U.S. officials.
Ryabkov said Russian President Vladimir Putin had “issued a very serious warning which must be taken with the utmost seriousness.”
Putin Said Last Tuesday, he warned that a “continued escalation” in Western support for Ukraine could ultimately lead to Ukraine using its own weapons against targets inside Russia, with “serious consequences.”
“If such a serious situation were to occur in Europe, how would the United States act, bearing in mind its equality in the field of strategic weapons? It is unclear. Does the United States want a global conflict?” Putin asked rhetorically.
Lest anyone miss the strong hint that he was talking about starting a nuclear war, Putin added that “small territorially and densely populated” European countries should be particularly careful about provoking Russia.
Ryabkov Said Russia said on Monday that Ukrainian forces had attacked a Russian early warning radar system and said Moscow’s response could be “asymmetric.”
“This is not the first time that the Kiev regime has tried to disrupt the normal functioning of important parts of our military, especially in the strategic sphere. We will thwart these attempts. The response may be asymmetric,” he said.
Russian Defense Ministry officials and military bloggers Claimed On Monday, Ukraine reportedly fired a U.S.-made M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) at targets in the Russian city of Belgorod, about 25 miles north of the Ukrainian border. The governor of Belgorod region Said The bombing killed two city officials and wounded three, as well as six civilians.
The Ukrainian media Said On Monday, it said a Himars missile had been launched towards Belgorod, but the target was a Russian S-300/400 air defence system.
According to a Telegram post by ASTRA, a collective of independent Russian journalists, a Russian Defense Ministry base in the Kolocha district of Belgorod was “attacked” and several military installations were burned.
“The fire was extinguished, but the projectile exploded, killing the secretary-general of the district’s security council, Igor Nechiporenko, and wounding the district administrator and three servicemen of the Russian Defense Ministry,” the Astra news agency reported, echoing comments by Belgorod region governor that city officials had been killed in the attack.
