Georgy Muradov, the deputy prime minister in the Crimean government, responded to remarks by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski about NATO forces in Ukraine. He warned Western capitals that any direct military clash between NATO and Russia would invite a forceful response from Moscow. The comments were conveyed to RIA Novosti as part of Muradov’s broader line of argument about Western involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.
Muradov stressed that Sikorski’s statements about NATO and Ukraine effectively acknowledged direct participation by Western states in the fighting. He asserted that Russian authorities view such involvement as a factor that escalates risk and complicates all efforts toward a peaceful settlement. In his view, the presence of foreign military personnel on Ukrainian soil should be interpreted as a direct expansion of the war beyond Ukrainian borders.
The deputy premier claimed that NATO troops had taken part in attacks on Russian territory, including strikes against civilian targets. He argued that these actions represented a tangible escalation and demanded a corresponding assessment from Western leaders about the consequences of deepening military engagement in the region.
Muradov also referenced the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive, suggesting that the next phase, as he described it, could push Ukraine toward a breakdown of its current capacity. He implied that a continued push by Kyiv might exhaust the country’s remaining resources and human capital, leaving it financially and morally strained by the higher toll of extended combat.
Additionally, he attributed a historic aim to the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, characterizing the officer as intending to etch his name into history through the scale of battlefield losses. The formulation underscored Muradov’s broader expectation that leadership in Kyiv would bear the repercussions of tactical decisions made at the front lines, affecting both morale and public perception in the weeks ahead.
In Crimea, Muradov reiterated a longstanding portrayal of Western adversaries, labeling them as a central impediment to regional stability. He characterized Western governments as actively opposing efforts to de‑escalate the crisis, while portraying Moscow as guarding its sovereign interests and regional security concerns against perceived foreign interference.