Russia threatened on Tuesday to attack Ukrainian “decision centers” in the event of bombardments on Russian soil or in the annexed Crimea with Western weapons, which Moscow accuses Kiev of preparing.
“According to our information, the leaders of the Armed Forces of Ukraine plan to attack the territory of Russia, including Crimea, with (US systems) Himars and (British missiles) Storm Shadows,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
“The use of these missiles outside the (combat) zone would mean the full participation of the United States and the United Kingdom in the conflict and would lead to immediate attacks on the decision-making centers in Ukraine,” it said, it added.
He did not specify whether these threats relate to military command centers, which Moscow says it is already targeting, or political decision-making centers in kyiv.
Multiplication of raids on Russian territory
Since the start of its military campaign against Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has repeatedly warned of an escalation of the conflict in the event of direct attacks on its territory. Russia has considered Crimea part of its territory since it annexed the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014.
In recent months, drone strikes and cross-border raids by gunmen have multiplied on Russian soil. Kyiv did not claim any.
Sergei Shoigu’s warning comes as kyiv is mounting a counteroffensive on various sectors of the front, and many analysts believe Ukraine is still testing Russian defenses before taking down most of its forces in battle.
communications war
Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Russian forces had repelled all “263 attacks” launched by the Ukrainian army since June 4, according to him, an unverifiable claim from an independent source.
kyiv’s forces “use a large number of Western elite weapons and units, whose members have been trained by NATO specialists,” Sergei Shoigu said.
Ukraine, for its part, says it has seized eight towns since launching its counter-offensive in early June.
Source: BFM TV
