Russian MP says Ukrainian incursion could lead to global war, RIA reports

By REUTERS

Published: AUGUST 16, 2024 08:06

A serviceman of 24th Mechanized brigade named after King Danylo of the Ukrainian Armed Forces prepares a SPG-9 anti-tank grenade launcher to fire toward Russian troops at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region, Ukraine August 6, 2024. (photo credit: Oleg Petrasiuk/Press Service of the 24th King Danylo Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Ar) — A serviceman of 24th Mechanized brigade named after King Danylo of the Ukrainian Armed Forces prepares a SPG-9 anti-tank grenade launcher to fire toward Russian troops at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region, Ukraine August 6, 2024.

(photo credit: Oleg Petrasiuk/Press Service of the 24th King Danylo Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Ar)

Russia warns that Ukraine’s Western-backed attack on its territory could spark a global war, accusing NATO of involvement.

A Russian parliamentary deputy said on Friday that the Western-backed Ukrainian incursion has brought the world close to an all-out global war, Russia's RIA news agency reported.

Ukrainian troops crossed the border into Russia's Kursk region on Aug. 6 and have since advanced significantly, forcing Moscow to evacuate over 200,000 people from their homes.

"Considering the presence of Western military equipment, the use of Western ammunition and missiles in attacks on civilian infrastructure and irrefutable proof of foreigners' participation in the attack on Russian territory, one could come to the conclusion that the world is on the brink of a third world war," RIA quoted deputy Mikhail Sheremet as saying.

Sheremet, who is a member of the Russian parliament's defense committee, echoed Putin by saying that NATO countries had given a green light to the incursion plans, a charge Washington has denied.

Putin's aide, Nikolai Patrushev, on Friday also accused the West of being behind the attack, in an interview with Izvestia newspaper.

A Ukrainian serviceman looks on from inside a tank in Donetsk, as Russia waged war against Ukraine, on June 11, 2022. (credit: STRINGER/ REUTERS)

Patrushev said NATO and Western intelligence agencies were involved in planning the Kursk operation, although he provided no evidence.

Aid to Russia

Ukraine and its allies say Russia is receiving assistance in its war effort from China, Iran, and North Korea.

Earlier on Friday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed a pledge to deepen cooperation with Russia and expressed confidence that Moscow would be victorious in its "holy war for peace and justice."