Russia is commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II on Monday, May 9, while the country is still at war in Ukraine and Vladimir Putin is venting threats to use nuclear weapons in the conflict. Spokesman for the Russian embassy in France, Alexander Makogonov, interviewed by franceinfo on Monday, believes sending western troops to Ukraine is “a red line” that must not be crossed.
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franceinfo: Vladimir Putin doubts the possible use of nuclear weapons in connection with the war in Ukraine. Does Russia intend to use nuclear weapons?
From the beginning, since the beginning of this military operation, Russia has made it clear that it does not even consider using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. It’s always like that. The use of nuclear weapons is very well anchored in our country’s military doctrine. And she is always on the defensive in the event of a strategic threat to our country’s existence.
When western countries send troops to Ukraine, is that a red line?
That’s why western countries haven’t sent troops there yet. This already provokes a direct, frontal confrontation. It’s really a red line.
For you, a country that has invaded another, that is sending its army, its planes to another country, what do you call it?
The term war in the traditional sense of the word is somewhat out of place to characterize the current situation in Ukraine. When it comes to war, it’s a war between armies, between peoples. In this case, in this case, in the case of Ukraine or Russia, no one declared war on anyone, neither Russia on Ukraine, nor Ukraine on Russia. It’s not a whole army. These are specialized units that include military personnel who serve in the military. And we have a very limited contingent.
A school in eastern Ukraine where civilians had taken refuge was bombed by the Russian army, killing 60 people, according to the Ukrainian government. Is that a war crime?
Rather, it is a provocation, another provocation by the Kiev regime. Because let’s think logically what it means for the Russian military or for the militias of the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics to shoot at the school, kill the schoolchildren, kill the teachers, kill who? The first question is: who shot? Perhaps the Ukrainians themselves who organized all this because it allows them to shift all the responsibility onto the Russians and accuse them of war crimes again by showing these horrific images to the whole world.
Investigating on the ground in Ukraine, the NGO Amnesty International collected 45 testimonies from people who claim that some of their relatives or family members were killed, killed or executed voluntarily by Russian soldiers, some with their hands tied. The NGO speaks of irrefutable evidence. How do you react to this?
It’s also a montage. You know, if these testimonies were collected on the territory of Ukraine, then I can imagine what pressure the residents there are under. You don’t even have the right to say a word in favor of the Russians. They will be promptly prosecuted by the Ukrainian authorities. Ukrainians are forbidden to support Russia. So I can imagine that testimonials can be invented. We don’t know anything.
If in fact the Ukrainian government is populated by Nazis, as you say and as Vladimir Putin says, if in fact the Ukrainian army is also infiltrated by Nazis on every street corner, why does no one see them?
“I am a neo-Nazi” is not written on the forehead of every neo-Nazi. In Ukraine there are about fifteen officially registered neo-Nazi organizations that function completely officially and openly. By law there are thousands and thousands of people, thousands of adults working with the youth, with the children, always ready to welcome new participants, new activists into their ranks. And this neo-Nazi ideology is so strong in Ukraine that it has penetrated almost all structures of the state, in the government and in parliament, in the special services, especially in the army.