RUSSIANS have revealed Vladimir Putin’s red line for a full-scale war with the West just days after invading Nato’s airspace.
Kremlin comrade Dmitry Medvedev said that any attempt by the West to shoot down Russian drones in Ukraine would lead to a full-blown war between Nato and Russia.
Nato troops take part in ‘Steadfast Dart 2025’ exercise at Smardan training range, near Galati, Romania
APUkrainian soldiers of 43rd artillery brigade fire by 2s7 self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions[/caption]
One of the drones is said to have crashed in Poland overnight
Poland called for a no-fly zone over parts of Ukraine after Russian drones invaded Polish and Romanian airspace – both part of Nato.
Radosław Sikorski, the country’s Foreign Minister, demanded that allied forces start shooting down Russian drones and missiles over Ukraine.
The plan is strongly supported by Ukraine.
However, Russia threatened to launch a full-blown war against the West if its drones were attacked.
Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, warned “The implementation of the provocative idea of Kyiv and other idiots about creating a ‘no-fly zone’ over Ukraine, and the ability for NATO countries to shoot down our UAVs, will mean only one thing – a war between NATO and Russia.”
Moscow portrays such a move as Nato being actively and directly involved in the war.
Sikorski said targeting Russian drones over Ukrainę “will be beneficial” for Western countries.
“We need to think about this. Technically, we, as NATO and the EU, would be capable of doing this, but it is not a decision that Poland can make alone, only together with its allies,” he told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
The Kremlin said on Monday that it was obvious that Nato was fighting against Russia by providing direct and indirect support to Ukraine.
“Nato is de facto involved in this war,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“Nato is providing direct and indirect support to the Kiev regime. It can be said with absolute certainty that NATO is fighting against Russia”.
Last week, Polish authorities said they detected 19 violations of their airspace.
It prompted a dramatic million-dollar response as fighter jets were scrambled and Patriot air defence systems placed on alert.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the incident brought Poland closer to military conflict “than at any time since the Second World War”.
Up to four drones were shot down with the help of NATO allies.
It marked the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 that Nato has directly engaged with Vlad’s forces.
And it was followed by a Russian drone overflying Romania for 50 minutes on Saturday.
According to Zelensky, the swooping drones were a “test” by Russia to see how Nato allies would respond.
Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets, which “detected a drone in national airspace” and tracked it until it dropped off the radar, the defence ministry said.
AlamyNato was forced to scramble F-16 fighter jets after a Russian attack breached Romanian airspace[/caption]
APRussia has continued to launch attacks on Ukraine[/caption]
ReutersRussia’s Security Council’s Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev[/caption]
In its statement on Sunday, the ministry said that a “Geran drone” used by Russia had entered Romanian airspace.
It added that the drone “orbited for about 50 minutes, from northeast of [the village of] Chilia Veche to southwest of Izmail, and left national airspace near the town of Pardina, heading towards Ukraine”.
Romania’s fighter jets were “supported by German allies… with two Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft”, which monitored the situation.
The drone did not fly over populated areas and did not pose an imminent threat to the safety of the population, said the statement.
“Russia’s incursion into Romanian airspace is once again a blatant violation of EU sovereignty and a serious threat to regional security,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, the UK has summoned the Russian ambassador in London following the country’s “unprecedented violation” of Nato airspace.
The Foreign Office said the incursions into Polish and Romanian airspace were “utterly unacceptable”.
Andrei Kelin, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s man in London, has been summoned by the department.
A spokesperson said: “Significant and unprecedented violation of Polish and Nato airspace by Russian drones last week, followed by a further incursion into Romanian airspace on Saturday, was utterly unacceptable.
“The UK stands united with Poland, Romania, Ukraine and our Nato allies in unreservedly condemning these reckless actions.”
Poland has now confirmed Nato troops will be deployed to the country following Russia’s reckless drone incursions.
Warsaw also said it had deployed helicopters and aircraft to combat Russian drones close to the border over the weekend.
The country’s military announced on X that they were on their “highest level of alert” alongside allied aircraft.
ReutersFire and smoke rise in the city after Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv[/caption]
GettyRescuers work at the site of a residential building hit by a Russian missile on August 28[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
