Russia warns West against defending Kyiv; 'Everything will turn into dust if WWIII starts'

Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council, criticized Western efforts to justify supplying weapons to Kyiv as an attempt to prevent a global conflict. Medvedev used his Telegram account to write "firstly, defending Ukraine, which nobody needs in Europe, will not save the senile Old World from retribution if anything occurs. Secondly, once the Third World War breaks out, unfortunately it will not be on tanks or even on fighter jets. Then everything will definitely be turned to dust". In his post, Medvedev specifically addressed the statement made by Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto that a Third World War would break out if Russia's tanks reached Kyiv and the borders of Europe, and that the arms sent to Ukraine were intended to prevent escalation, as per a report from TASS.

Medvedev compared Crosetto's comments to the calls from the United Kingdom to arm Ukraine with all the weapons of NATO. The fighting meanwhile continues. On Saturday, Russia's troops launched a fierce attack on Ukrainian forces with the goal of pushing them out of crucial positions in eastern Ukraine. Moscow aims to secure important supply routes, and both sides are positioning themselves for potential upcoming offensives.

State of the war

Russia has been trying to break through Ukrainian defensive positions in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions for months, with heavy casualties but limited territorial gains. These efforts have become more pressing as Western and Ukrainian leaders warn that Moscow plans to launch a large-scale attack to regain control, almost a year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Experts and officials also believe that Ukraine may try to launch its own offensive to expel Russia from occupied areas in the east, as per a report by New York Times. Oleksiy Danilov, the head of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, stated that Russia is preparing for a new wave of attacks by February 24th, which marks the first anniversary of their full-scale invasion.

He added that Moscow's main objective is to capture the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions and then expand beyond their borders. Ukraine has been seeking tanks from western allies to ensure it can withstand the Russian offensive and launch a counter-offensive. Now that western tanks are on the way, Kyiv has started demanding F16 fighter jets. It is unclear if western allies will go ahead and fulfill this wish of Ukraine as well.