Kiev Extorts Money From West By Warning About Alleged Russia-Belarus Invasion - Moscow

Kiev uses reports of an alleged imminent invasion of the joint armed forces of Russia and Belarus as an instrument to receive more money and weapons from the West, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd December, 2022) Kiev uses reports of an alleged imminent invasion of the joint armed forces of Russia and Belarus as an instrument to receive more money and weapons from the West, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

"The aim of such statements is to beg the West for even more money and weapons against the backdrop of the military-political situation in the region ... and the buildup of NATO military forces in Poland and the Baltic States," she said at a regular briefing.

She underlined that Russia and Belarus, being closest allies, have been deploying troops in full accordance with the military doctrine of the Union State, which has strictly defensive objectives.

Zakharova added that the strengthening of the joint group of forces in Belarus is a symmetrical response to the increase in NATO activity alongside the western borders of the Union State.

Western countries have been ramping up their military support for Kiev since the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. In April, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian armed forces. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in turn, stated that arms provision was undermining prospects for a future peace process.