Ukrainians dig trenches around Kyiv as Russian convoy edges closer / Russia warns that Moscow now considers arms shipments to Ukraine as 'legitimate targets' for military

17h ago

13:16

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/mar/12/ukraine-news-russia-war-ceasefire-broken-humanitarian-corridors-kyiv-russian-invasion-live-vladimir-putin-volodymyr-zelenskiy-latest-updates-live?page=with:block-622c9b2d8f0806dde1f8cc9d#block-622c9b2d8f0806dde1f8cc9d

 

Russia warns that Moscow now considers arms shipments to Ukraine as 'legitimate targets' for military

A senior Russian diplomat has warned that from now on Moscow will consider arms shipments to Ukraine as “legitimate targets”.

 

The comments by the deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, reported by Sky News and BuzzFeed News, are likely to raise fears over a potential escalation in the conflict in Ukraine.

 

Ryabkov said that Russia had made its position clear to the US.

 

He said that Russia “warned the US that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn’t just a dangerous move, it’s an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets”.

 

Denouncing US sanctions against Moscow, he said they were an “unprecedented attempt to deal a serious blow to various sectors of the Russian economy”.

 

But he insisted that Russia did not intend to expel western media and businesses, adding: “We aren’t going to escalate the situation.”