Russia’s ambassador to the European Union warned on Monday that Moscow could invade Ukraine if “provoked to do that” by an attack on Russian citizens inside the country.
Vladimir Chizhov, Russia’s top envoy in Brussels since 2005, said the world “shouldn’t be surprised” if Moscow responded with a “counterattack” in such a scenario.
His comments follow repeated warnings by the United States and Britain that Russia is planning so-called “false flag” incidents as a pretext for an invasion of Ukraine.
It also comes after weeks of tensions that have seen Russia nearly surround its western neighbour with more than 100,000 troops and Washington warn an incursion could be days away.
“We will not invade Ukraine unless we are provoked to do that,” Chizhov told Monday’s edition of The Guardian newspaper.
“If the Ukrainians launch an attack against Russia, you shouldn’t be surprised if we counterattack,” he added.
“Or, if they start blatantly killing Russian citizens anywhere — Donbass or wherever.”
Donbass is a region in eastern Ukraine where government forces have been battling pro-Russia separatists since 2014, when Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula to the south.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2019 signed a decree simplifying Russian passport applications for residents from the war-ravaged region.
More than 600,000 people living in Donbass are holders of Russian passports, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported in July last year.
In his comments, Chizhov said a provocation could centre on the contested region’s residents.
“What I mean by provocation is that they may stage an incident against the self-proclaimed Donbass republics, provoking them, and then hitting them with all their might, thus provoking Russia to react in order to avoid humanitarian catastrophe on its borders,” he added.
