Kiev would never have staged an operation such as its incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region without US and NATO support, former Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev has insisted, accusing Washington of playing a role in the attack.
Last week, Ukraine launched its largest attack on Russian territory since the outbreak of the conflict in February 2022. Western officials have voiced their support for the incursion into Kursk Region but denied any prior knowledge of the operation.
“The US leadership’s claims of non-involvement in Kiev’s actions in Kursk Region do not correspond to reality... Without their participation and direct support, Kiev would not have ventured into Russian territory,” Patrushev told Izvestia in an interview published on Friday.
The adviser to President Vladimir Putin, who has recently been appointed to oversee Russia’s global maritime strategy, emphasized that the West “put the criminal junta at the head of Ukraine," while“NATO countries have supplied Kiev with weapons, military instructors, and continuous intelligence while controlling the actions of neo-Nazis.”
The operation in Kursk Region was also planned with the involvement of NATO and Western special services.
The advance of Kiev’s troops was swiftly halted by Russian forces, although they maintain control over several settlements in Kursk Region. According to the local governor, at least 12 civilians have been killed and another 121 wounded due to the incursion, forcing more than 120,000 residents to evacuate.
“This criminal action stems from anticipation of the imminent collapse of the neo-Nazi Kiev regime,” Patrushev said, adding that “the residents of Ukraine are suffering for the sake of American interests, as the US has turned the country into a military anti-Russian project.”
Russian officials have stated that by attacking civilians in Kursk Region, Kiev has eliminated any chance for peace talks – an objective that Ukrainian officials claim the incursion brings closer. Moscow has characterized Kiev’s military tactics in Russia as “terrorist,” while saying that Western nations arming Kiev share responsibility for atrocities committed by Ukrainian troops.
“Washington's efforts have created all the prerequisites for Ukraine to lose its sovereignty and part of its territories, including those coveted by some American allies,” Patrushev added.