Russia Warns West Of Escalating World War III

…and they are like small children playing with matches

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has issued a stern warning to the West, accusing them of playing a dangerous game by considering allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied missiles for deep strikes into Russian territory.

In a press conference in Moscow, Lavrov cautioned that such a move could escalate the conflict into a full-blown World War III, and that its consequences would extend far beyond Europe.

The warning comes on the heels of a Ukrainian attack on the western Russian region of Kursk, the largest foreign incursion into Russia since World War II. President Vladimir Putin has vowed a strong response to the attack.

“We are now confirming once again that playing with fire – and they are like small children playing with matches – is a very dangerous thing for grown-up uncles and aunts who are entrusted with nuclear weapons in one or another Western country,” Lavrov told reporters in Moscow.

“Americans unequivocally associate conversations about the Third World War as something that, God forbid, if it happens, will affect Europe exclusively,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov added that Russia was “clarifying” its nuclear doctrine.

Russia’s 2020 nuclear doctrine says the president can use a nuclear weapon “when the very existence of the state is put under threat”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has dismissed Russia’s threats of retaliation or nuclear war as a bluff.

He has argued that the restrictions imposed by allies on the use of Western-supplied weapons prevent Ukraine from hitting certain Russian military targets and has urged allies to be more supportive of Kyiv’s war efforts.