MOSCOW: Russia has warned that the West is dangerously escalating the situation by considering allowing Ukraine to launch deep strikes into Russian territory with Western missiles. The U.S. was cautioned that a potential World War Three would not be limited to Europe.
On August 6, Ukraine attacked Russia’s western Kursk region, marking the largest foreign assault on Russian soil since World War Two. President Vladimir Putin has promised a significant Russian response to this attack.
Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s long-serving foreign minister, accused the West of seeking to escalate the conflict and “asking for trouble” by contemplating Ukrainian requests to ease restrictions on foreign-supplied weapons. He criticized the West for its approach, likening it to “small children playing with matches” when dealing with nuclear powers.
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Lavrov emphasized that discussions of a potential Third World War should not be seen as affecting only Europe, stating that the consequences would be far broader. He also noted that Russia was “clarifying” its nuclear doctrine, which outlines when the use of nuclear weapons would be considered—mainly in response to attacks using nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction or conventional weapons that threaten the state’s existence.
In response to Russia’s threats, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed that the attack on Kursk disproved Kremlin claims of imminent retaliation. Zelenskiy urged allies to take more decisive action to support Ukraine, citing the restrictions placed on Ukrainian use of available weaponry.
Russia has reported that Western weapons, including British tanks and U.S. rocket systems, have been used by Ukraine in Kursk. Ukraine has confirmed using U.S. HIMARS missiles to target bridges in the region.
The U.S. has stated that it was unaware of Ukraine’s plans before the attack on Kursk and did not participate in the operation. However, Russian officials, including intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, have suggested that the involvement of the United States in the Kursk attack is an “obvious fact.”
