By Aaron Miller-
Russia on Thursday threatened the U.S. with new forms of military escalation if it pursues reported plans to send Patriot missile batteries to Ukraine, insisting that America would invariably become directly involved in the war.
The West has mounted severe sanctions against Russian oligarchs ever since the illegal war against Ukraine began, but this has not stopped the war from become deeper before the withdrawal of Russian troops from Kyiev a few months ago.
However, the extent of America’s involvement in the Russian war against Ukraine has attracted its own critics who have accused the White House of excessive involvement capable of inflaming an already tense and dirty war.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova(pictured) warned the U.S against following up on its plans to support Ukriane with missiles during a media briefing on Thursday, stressing that it would constitute an escalation of the conflict.
“Such a step … would lead to an escalation of the conflict and increase the risk of direct involvement of the American army in hostilities.”
The U.S and the U.K have both been accused by the Kremlin on different occasions of becoming too involved in the unprovoked war Russia sparked against Ukraine. Both allies have joined several other countries in supplying weapons to assist Ukraine since the beginning of the war.
Zakharova did not detail the nature of the escalation, but said Russia believes the U.S. has accelerated pressure on its NATO allies to engage in new forms of military and economic support for Ukraine that Moscow considers dangerous acts of provocation.
Russia has warned the U.S and its allies of provocation on more than one occasion, taking little note of its own unprovoked acts of invasion that has led to the united front aimed at weakening its resolve.
The Biden administration is in the final planning stages of delivering sophisticating rocket defense systems to begin deliveries as soon as next week, prompting outrage from the Kremlin
The Russian Defense Ministry on Thursday shared a video it said showed the loading of an intercontinental ballistic missile into a silo launcher in a town in western Russia. The Yars missile has a nuclear warhead, and Moscow has previously test fired it in October as a part of pre-planned nuclear weapons exercises.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has repeatedly said that Russia would consider Patriot missile batteries in Ukraine to be legitimate military targets.
The Ukrainian government has persistently called for increased support from the West to help it against the increased volume and devastation of Russian missile and drone attacks.
Several analysts – along with critics of the Biden administration’s approach to supporting Ukraine – believe the shipments are long overdue.
Private intelligence firm The Soufan Center concluded in a new analysis note that sending the missile systems to Ukraine “would greatly aid the Ukrainians in defending their urban centers, power grid, and other critical infrastructure.
Ukraine has demonstrated a remarkable ability to repel waves of Iranian-made drones deployed by Russia, the PATRIOT systems would be a welcome upgrade for Kyiv.”
Others with deep experience in the region have warned that Patriots would not serve as a quick-fix to the catastrophes that Ukraine’s military and civilian population faces now.
“Unless there’s been secret training going on for months, ‘approval’ doesn’t mean those systems will be on the battlefield immediately,” retired Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, a former top commander for operations in Europe, tweeted on Tuesday. “Patriots require months of operator & maintenance training.”
Hertling added that these systems function differently than other mobile rockets that the Ukrainians have had great success fielding, like the HIMARS.
Russia has disrupted sources of heat from millions of civilians through its attacks against Ukraine’s infrastructure, while a hardening ground makes it easier for both sides to deploy fighting vehicles.
New Sanctions
The U.S. announced new sanctions on Thursday against several Russian commercial export companies and close allies of Putin’s in an attempt to further punish the president’s inner circles. Among the new moves includes seizing the yacht “Nirvana” of Vladimir Potanin, one of Russia’s wealthiest oligarchs and a close Putin ally.
“Our actions today are a clear message that the United States will not hesitate to continue to use the tools at our disposal to promote an end to, and accountability for, President Putin’s unconscionable war,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.