Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Tuesday that the Russian military has information that shows Ukraine is plotting to attack Crimea with US-provided HIMARS rocket systems and British-provided Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
“According to our data, the leadership of the Ukrainian armed forces is planning to deliver strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation, including Crimea, with HIMARS and Storm Shadow missiles,” Shoigu said.
The Russian defense minister warned that such strikes would make the US and Britain direct parties to the conflict and warned of a potential response.
“The use of these missiles outside the zone of our special military operation would mean that the United States and Britain would be fully dragged into the conflict and would entail immediate strikes on decision-making centers in Ukraine,” he said.
While the Biden administration has said it doesn’t want Ukraine using US-provided weapons on Russian territory, the restriction doesn’t apply to Crimea, which Russia has controlled since 2014. Ukraine and its Western backers don’t recognize the peninsula as Russian territory.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reiterated the US position last month. “We have not placed limitations on Ukraine being able to strike on its territory within its internationally recognized borders,” he told CNN. “What we have said is that we will not enable Ukraine with US systems, Western systems, to attack Russia. And we believe Crimea is Ukraine.”
Sullivan’s comments drew protest from Moscow as Crimea is a major red line for Russian President Vladimir Putin, something Secretary of State Antony Blinken has acknowledged. But as the war drags on, the Biden administration is less and less concerned about escalating the conflict.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reiterated the US position last month. “We have not placed limitations on Ukraine being able to strike on its territory within its internationally recognized borders,” he told CNN. “What we have said is that we will not enable Ukraine with US systems, Western systems, to attack Russia. And we believe Crimea is Ukraine.”
I remember the outcry that the Crimean vote to join the Russian federation passed because the citizens were being intimidated and had Russian tanks all over the place making sure the vote went Russia’s way. So, now we are saying that those poor slobs can now be attacked by their own government using US systems. Ukraine attacking Ukraine to kill Ukrainians being held hostage.
i don’t believe that Russia held Crimea hostage to ensure that they vote to be a part of Russia. i remember that Crimea appealed to Russia for help in 20014 when Ukraine military began menacing the people of Crimea. and it took less than a week for Russia military to drive Uke military out.
I don’t believe that either. I should have put one of these /s after that last sentence.
i had a feeling you were being sarcastic, but i’m sure what you said really is the official narrative
“poor slobs.” Is that how you refer to fellow human beings ~ whether being sarcastic or not? Disgusting.
Seriously? You don’t get out much I take it. You never heard that term used before? It isn’t necessarily derogatory.
The neocons running this in the Biden Admin are more and more determined to escalate the conflict.
They want this.
Nuland is in charge, have no doubt, with the president’s blessing. It’s unfortunate. She has the blood of tens of thousands of Ukrainians and Russians on her hands.
Ukraine really “needs” a second front.
The cynic in me says the Russians are hyping up stray talk but then I then remember the Ukrainians are doing whatever the Western politicians tell them to do and that sounds something like those idiots would tell those hapless fools to do (and they would).
Ukraine and its Western backers don’t recognize the Crimean peninsula as Russian territory.
really, then WTF does Ukraine keep attacking Crimea?
oh right, punishment for choosing not to accept the Ukrainian boot.
on their neck.