Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, said that Ukrainians are not Russia’s enemies, but that ultra-nationalist circles in power in Kyiv pose a threat to Russia’s national security.
Medvedev, at a meeting with veterans of the Great Patriotic War, added: “Ukrainians are not our enemies at all – those who are in power there, fanatical nationalists and Benderites who have not been eliminated before, actually pose a threat to our security. and the security of a large number of people trapped in a crisis between the Ukrainian regime on the one hand and our country on the other. I mean the people of Donbass.”
He noted that in recent decades, no one wanted to listen to Russia’s fears about NATO expansion, and the Ukrainian leadership refused to resolve the conflict in Donbass.
Medvedev said those who believe that Crimea is not Russian also pose a “systemic threat” to Russia.
Speaking about the reasons, according to him, that prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to launch a special operation, Medvedev noted that “if another crazy nationalist fanatic or other weak figure becomes the president of Ukraine, then in this case a conflict will inevitably arise and can be equated with aggression.” .
He said: “It was really an emergency decision” and emphasized the right of countries to self-defense to launch pre-emptive strikes.
Source: RIA Novosti