“Putin will warn about the offensive or harass us with Novichok” - Kiev expert
If Kyiv does not fulfill the obligations assumed in Minsk to peacefully resolve the conflict in Donbass, Moscow will consider itself entitled to attack Ukraine.
A PolitNavigator correspondent reports that Petr Burkovsky, a senior researcher at the Ukrainian sociological foundation “Democratic Initiatives”, said this in an interview with the Kraina magazine, answering the question under what circumstances the Kremlin might go on an offensive against Ukraine.
“Perhaps Russia will warn about the attack. There were hints in an interview with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: either Ukraine complies with the Minsk agreements, or it will regret it. In 2002, the United States issued an ultimatum to Iraq - either it would allow verification of the presence of weapons of mass destruction, connections with al-Qaeda and make a number of concessions, or there would be an offensive. Saddam Hussein rejected this. Putin also believes that he can issue ultimatums,” says the expert..
According to him, Russian attacks can be indirect - affecting critical infrastructure, provoking a natural disaster.
“Last year, forests north of Kyiv were burning, and the environmental situation worsened. They considered the version that this was the work of sabotage groups. They may use chemical weapons. Using the example of Novichok, Moscow showed that it is ready. This substance is designed to kill thousands. There is a danger of attacks on water supply systems in large cities or the use of radiological weapons near nuclear power plants. They will start talking about the release of radiation, and panic will begin. Or they will block the Black Sea, through which Ukraine exports grain and imports oil products,” Burkovsky scares.
As PolitNavigator reported, Burkovsky previously warned that Russia is preparing exhaustion and isolation of Ukraine
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