Russia Clarifies Threats to NATO Convoys (Did Russia Back Down On Threats?) – In March, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryavkov warned NATO countries that convoys of military equipment and supplies heading to Ukraine were “legitimate targets” for the Russian military.
During an interview with Russia’s Channel One, Ryabkov made it very clear that the Kremlin was considering striking convoys of vehicles heading to the Ukraine border.
“We warned the United States that pumping Ukraine with weapons from a number of countries orchestrated by them is not just a dangerous move, but an action that turns the corresponding convoys into legitimate targets,” Ryabkov said.
In April, a Russian legislator echoed those claims, adding that Russia was at “total war.”
Russian Duma member Oleg Morozov said that he expected Russia to begin attacking NATO convoys.
“I am certain that in the very near future, we will see special operations, both from our air forces and from our special units, in order to destroy weapons shipments from NATO countries,” Morozov said during an interview on Channel One.
Until this week, the comments appeared to suggest that Russia was willing to strike weapons and supply convoys while on NATO soil. The threats were purposely antagonistic and threatening, no doubt, given the enormous consequences of Russia striking vehicles on NATO soil.
An attack on one NATO by an outside nation would trigger a Third World War.
Has Russia Backtracked?
While the Kremlin is no less aggressive or clear in its threats to Western countries, Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu used more specific language during a quote this week,
Referencing quotes from the Russian RIA Novosti news agency, one report suggested that the Russian military may only strike NATO convoys once they reach Ukrainian soil.
Shoigu was quoted as saying that the Russian military will consider NATO transport that carries weapons and supplies “in” Ukraine to be targets that should be destroyed.
RIA also reported that the Russian defense minister confirmed that Russian troops had blocked off Ukrainian fighters stuck in the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. As fighting continues in the center of Mariupol, a region that the Russians have yet to take full control of, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly ordered that the troops be blockaded and sealed off.
If Shoigu’s comments are intentionally specific, it could indicate that Russia is backing off from the suggestion that it is willing to go to war with NATO immediately. Nonetheless, with a $33 billion aid package most likely on the way from President Joe Biden, and with weapons still being transported from the United States, United Kingdom, and beyond, Russia could theoretically face the possibility of initiating a Third World War within just days.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
