Russia considers itself at war because of Western intervention on Ukraine’s side and says it cannot allow a country on its borders that has shown a willingness to use any method to seize control of Crimea, the Kremlin said on Friday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s comments to the Russian publication ”Arguments and Facts”, some of the harshest on Ukraine, followed a major Russian overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
“We are in a state of war. Yes, it started as a special military operation, but as soon as this group was formed, when the collective West became a participant in this on the side of Ukraine, it became a war for us,” Peskov said.
“I am convinced of that. And everyone should understand that, because of their inner motivation,” he added.
Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, gradually spoke of “war” from time to time after long insisting that the term be avoided.
Peskov also said that Russia must completely “liberate” its “new regions” in order to ensure the safety of its inhabitants, referring to the four annexed Ukrainian regions in 2022.
Kyiv calls out Russia for its illegal land grab and says it will not stop until all Russian soldiers are removed from Ukrainian soil. Ukraine is also determined to return the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Moscow, which has invested heavily in Crimea, claims that the peninsula is part of Russia and that its status has been settled once and for all.
E.Dz.
