Russia has once again stepped up its aggressive rhetoric towards Ukraine’s European partners, resorting to ultimatums and threats of a military confrontation. This is reported by the Centre for Countering Disinformation.
As the CCD noted, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that a possible deployment of military contingents from Western countries in Ukraine would allegedly amount to a “declaration of war on Russia”.
Lavrov also threatened Europe with a “very short war” if, as he put it, “Europe attacks Russia”. He made the remarks during the “International Youth Festival” in Yekaterinburg.
The CCD noted that in his statement Lavrov used rhetoric about an alleged threat of a European attack on Russia against the backdrop of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
The Centre for Countering Disinformation said that with such statements Moscow is trying to shift responsibility for escalation onto Western governments and justify its own actions. In the CCD’s assessment, this rhetoric is aimed both at Russia’s domestic audience and at foreigners.
The CCD also stressed that Russia uses public international platforms to spread threats and exert pressure on the international community.