The West 'plays with fire' when it 'gives the green light' for Ukraine to attack Russia with heavy weapons

On May 17 (local time), Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the West is only risking further escalation by arming and encouraging Kiev to attack Russian territory.

The warning comes as Ukrainian attacks on Russian cities have intensified amid Kiev's ground losses in the Kharkiv region.

“The personal profiles of the Americans and British manipulators of the Zelensky regime behind these barbaric attacks are clearly visible. They not only supplied long-range missiles and heavy weapons, but also gave the green light to use them against Russia,” spokeswoman Zakharova told reporters.

“Once again, we want to clearly warn Washington, London, Brussels and other Western capitals, as well as Kiev, which is under their control, that they are playing with fire. Russia will not leave violations of its territory unanswered,” the spokeswoman stressed.

On May 16 and 17, the Ukrainian military launched a coordinated attack on Crimea, Krasnodar and other Russian regions using naval drones and unmanned boats. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, more than 100 drones were intercepted in mid-air, while six unmanned boats were destroyed by the Black Sea Fleet.

During a meeting on May 17, the Russian Defense Ministry added that over the past week, its military had intercepted dozens of US-made ATACMS missiles, as well as nearly 200 rockets, including those launched from US-made HIMARS and Czech-made Vampire launchers. French-supplied Hammer guided bombs, British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles and nearly 330 drones were also used in the attacks.

A total of 19 civilians were killed in Russia’s Belgorod region on May 12 alone, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. On May 17, Governor Gladkov wrote on the social network Telegram that a Ukrainian drone crashed into a civilian car, killing a woman and her 4-year-old daughter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated on May 17 that shelling of residential areas was prompting Moscow to create a buffer zone along the border with Ukraine. “If this continues, we will be forced to create a security zone. This is what we are doing,” he said while on a visit to China.

Last month, the New York Times quoted senior Pentagon officials as saying that the US had allowed Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles to attack targets in Crimea. British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed to reporters on May 14 that London had allowed Kiev to attack Crimea with weapons supplied by Britain.

Crimea was the site of a referendum on seceding from Ukraine and joining Russia in 2014.