MOSCOW, Sept 13 (Askume) – The speaker of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, on Friday accused NATO of being a party to military action against Ukraine and said NATO was heavily involved in military decision-making.
The comments by Vyacheslav Volodin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, came a day after Putin warned that the West would go to war directly with Russia if Ukraine allowed Western-made long-range missiles to strike Russian territory, a move he said would change the nature of the conflict.
Volodin did not provide any written evidence to support his claims, but he accused the US-led military coalition of helping Ukraine choose which Russian cities to target without relying on specific military operations and issuing orders to Kiev.
Volodin wrote on his official Telegram channel: “The United States, Germany, Britain and France are discussing the possibility of (Ukraine) using long-range weapons to attack our territory. This is their direct participation in military operations.” This type of participation.
“In fact, the United States and its allies are trying to allow offensive missile operations against Russia.”
In Ukraine, he said, NATO advisers and trainers were now being used by mercenaries, and he added that entire units were equipped with NATO weapons.
Askume could not independently verify his claims.
“They (NATO personnel) decide which cities in our country will be attacked, coordinate and issue orders for military operations. NATO has become a partner in military operations in Ukraine. They are our country. But they are fighting a war,” Volodin said.
