Ukraine Vows to Kill Russian ‘Attackers’

Accuses Russia of Trying to Start World War 3

Serhiy Pashynsky, the Chief of Staff to Ukraine’s interim president, announced today that Ukraine’s military would treat any incursion by Russian troops across the border as an “invasion” and that the “attackers will be killed.”

The comments come just a day after Ukraine’s interim Foreign Minister Andrii Deshchytsia declared the military “ready” to fight Russia as soon as it crosses the border.

Ukraine interim Premier Arseniy Yatsenyuk doubled down on those comments, insisting that not only was Russia plotting to invade Ukraine, but that it “wants to start World War III” and attack all of Europe.

Ukrainian and NATO officials have been predicting a Russian invasion of Ukraine for weeks now, and the lack thereof is starting to hamper sanctions calls to punish Russia for an invasion that isn’t happening. The Ukrainian interim government seems to be built entirely around fighting (and surely losing) this potential war, and seems determined to needle Russia more and more until it actually does start a conflict.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.