Russia Says NATO Nations Could Be 'Legitimate Military Targets'

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev suggested on Friday that members of the NATO military alliance providing Ukraine with assistance could be "legitimate military targets."

In a lengthy statement on his Telegram channel, Medvedev, who is deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, questioned whether the delivery of weapons to Ukraine by NATO nations could be viewed as an attack on his country.

"Today...the main question is whether the hybrid war de facto declared on our country by NATO can be considered to be the alliance's entry into war with Russia? Is it possible to view the delivery of a large volume of weapons to Ukraine as an attack on Russia?" he wrote.

"The leaders of NATO countries keep unanimously squawking that their countries and the entire bloc are not at war with Russia," Medvedev continued. "Yet, everyone is well aware that this is not the case."

He noted that in light of this, the question arises whether NATO allies are legitimate military targets.

According to "the named rules of war," he said, the armed forces of other countries "that have officially entered the war, which are allies of the enemy country, and the objects located on their territory," are considered legitimate military targets.

Medvedev said other legitimate military targets include the military-political leadership of the enemy country and any enemy troops (legal combatants and illegal combatants) who have not been officially withdrawn from among its armed forces.

He said this includes any of the enemy's military and auxiliary equipment, any objects related to military infrastructure as well as to civilian infrastructure which facilitates achieving military goals (bridges, transport stations, roads, energy facilities, plants and workshops that at least partially fulfill military contracts, and so on).

The Kremlin has repeatedly accused NATO allies of becoming involved in the conflict by sending Ukraine weapons, providing its troops with training, and assisting with military intelligence.

Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the United States, along with its NATO allies, had provided more than $40 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since the conflict began on February 24.

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova issued a warning to the U.S. over the proposed transfer of Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine.

Citing experts, she warned that possible deliveries of the systems by Washington to Kyiv could escalate the conflict.

Zakharova was referring to advanced missile systems that the U.S. is expected to send to Ukraine after months of requests from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the U.S. provide his country with stronger weapons to shoot down Russian missiles.

"Previously, many experts, including [those based] overseas doubted the logic of such a move, which would lead to an escalation of the conflict and increase the risk of direct involvement of the U.S. army in hostilities," she said.

The spokeswoman accused the U.S. of continuing to "twist the arms of other NATO countries," referring to the members of the military alliance.

Washington is "demanding a more significant contribution to the militarization of Ukraine from them [NATO members]," Zakharova said, adding that all weapons supplied by Western nations to Ukraine will be targeted by Russia.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry and NATO for comment.

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