Russia says NATO nations could be ‘legitimate military targets’

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev suggested on Friday that members of the NATO military alliance providing assistance to Ukraine could be “legitimate military targets.”

In a lengthy statement on his Telegram channel, Medvedev, who is vice president of Russia’s Security Council, questioned whether the delivery of arms to Ukraine by NATO nations could be seen as an attack on his country.

“Today… the main question is whether the de facto hybrid war declared on our country by NATO can be considered as the entry into war of the alliance with Russia. Is it possible to see the delivery of a large volume of weapons to Ukraine as an attack on Russia? he wrote.

“The leaders of the NATO countries continue to unanimously shout that their countries and the entire bloc are not at war with Russia,” Medvedev continued. “However, everyone knows very well that this is not the case.”

He noted that in light of this, the question arises as to whether NATO allies are legitimate military targets.

According to “the named rules of war,” it said, the armed forces of other countries “that have officially entered the war, that are allies of the enemy country, and objects located on its territory” are considered legitimate military targets.

Medvedev said that other legitimate military targets include the enemy country’s military-political leadership and any enemy troops (legal and illegal combatants) that have not been officially withdrawn from its armed forces.

He said that this includes any military and auxiliary equipment of the enemy, any objects related to military infrastructure, as well as civilian infrastructure that facilitates the achievement of military objectives (bridges, transport stations, roads, power facilities, plants and workshops that meet at least partially military). contracts, etc.).

The Kremlin has repeatedly accused NATO allies of getting involved in the conflict by sending weapons to Ukraine, providing training for its troops and helping with military intelligence.

Last month, the US Secretary of State. anthony blink announced that the United States, along with its NATO allies, had provided more than $40 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since the conflict began on February 24.

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova issued a warning to the United States for the proposed transfer of Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine

Citing experts, he warned that possible deliveries of the systems by Washington to Kyiv could escalate the conflict.

Zakharova was referring to advanced missile systems that the US is expected to send to Ukraine after months of requests from the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky that the United States provide your country with more powerful weapons to shoot down Russian missiles.

“Previously, many experts, including [those based] abroad doubted the logic of such a move, which would lead to an escalation of the conflict and increase the risk of direct involvement of the US military in hostilities,” he said.

The spokeswoman accused the US of continuing to “twist the arms of other NATO countries”, referring to the members of the military alliance.

Washington is “demanding a more significant contribution to the militarization of Ukraine from them [NATO members]Zakharova said, adding that all weapons supplied by Western nations to Ukraine will be targeted by Russia.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry and NATO for comment.

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