On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Western sanctions on Russia were akin to a declaration of war and warned that any attempt to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine would lead to catastrophic consequences for the world, according to Reuters.
Putin reiterated that his aims were to defend Russian-speaking communities through the “demilitarisation and de-Nazification” of the country so that Russia’s former Soviet neighbor became neutral and no longer threatened Russia, Reuters reported.
Ukraine and Western countries have dismissed this as a baseless pretext for the invasion he launched on Feb. 24 and have imposed a sweeping range of sanctions aimed at isolating Moscow.
“These sanctions that are being imposed are akin to a declaration of war but thank God it has not come to that,” Putin said, speaking to a group of flight attendants at an Aeroflot training center near Moscow.
He said any attempt by another power to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine would be considered by Russia to be a step into the military conflict. Such a step he said would have catastrophic consequences for Europe and the world, according to the outlet.
Asked about reports that Russian conscripts had been used in Ukraine, Putin said none had been involved and said the military operation was going to plan.
“There is not one conscript and we don’t plan for there to be,” Putin said. “Our army will fulfill all the tasks. I don’t doubt that at all. Everything is going to plan.”
Putin dismissed concerns that some sort of martial law or emergency situation could be declared in Russia. He said such a measure was imposed only when there was a significant internal or external threat.
“We don’t plan to introduce any kind of special regime on Russian territory – there is currently no need,” Putin said.
In February, Putin said the “consequences” of any attempt to strike back against the country would provoke a response “never seen in history”.
Broadcasted live on television in Moscow, President Putin said: “Whoever tries to impede us, let alone create threats for our country and its people, must know that the Russian response will be immediate and lead to the consequences you have never encountered in your history.”
“All relevant decisions have been taken. I hope that I will be heard.”
“No one should have any doubts that a direct attack on our country will lead to the destruction and horrible consequences for any potential aggressor,” he said in his speech that acted as a declaration of war on Ukraine.
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FVP needs to calm down. The USA, NATO, and the EU haven’t done anything and won’t do anything about Ukraine. They just gave FVP the largest nation in Europe and 17% of the World’s grain supplies plus massive oil and gas deposits. Germany is planning direct cash payments to Russian soldiers so they won’t wreck Ukraine too much. FEM is already discussing the terms of Frances surrender with FVP. Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Poland are combining their governments so Moscow will be able to rule over them more efficiently.