Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, currently vice-president of the Security Council, said on Monday on his Telegram channel that NATO’s implementation of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, as well as the downing of Russian drones by alliance countries, would mean “NATO’s war with Russia.” Medvedev called the potential decision “provocative” and included in his criticism those in kyiv and other Western capitals who are promoting the idea.
The senior Russian official's warning comes after a series of recent incidents that have heightened tensions in the region, particularly after several Russian drones violated Polish airspace last week. In the wake of that episode, NATO increased the deployment of fighter jets on its eastern flank, a move that revived debate about extending military protection to western Ukraine and authorizing the downing of Russian drones or missiles before they cross allied territory.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, kyiv has repeatedly asked NATO to impose a no-fly zone over its territory. Western countries have so far ruled out that possibility to avoid a direct confrontation with Moscow, according to Reuters.
In addition to addressing the military situation, Medvedev threatened retaliation if Russian state assets frozen in the European Union are handed over to Ukraine as part of a war reparations loan. He asserted that Moscow will pursue the responsible states and politicians"in all possible international and national courts, and in some cases, outside of them," according to the same Telegram channel cited by the agency.
For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared in a telephone press conference on Monday that"NATO is at war with Russia," pointing out that Western military aid to Ukraine implies a "de facto" involvement of the Alliance in the conflict. Peskov stated that this involvement does not require"additional proof" and accused NATO of being both directly and indirectly involved in the armed conflict.
The Kremlin's statements come after the recent incursion of Russian drones into Polish territory. Moscow expressed its willingness to investigate the incident and maintained that it is not seeking a military escalation, although it neither officially confirmed nor denied the involvement of its drones in the incident.
In response to the airspace violations, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced Operation Eastern Sentinel on Friday to reinforce defenses on the Alliance's eastern flank. Rutte explained that they will have resources from countries such as Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, and described what happened in Poland as"the largest concentration of NATO airspace violations ever seen," warning that the event was not an isolated incident, according to EFE.
