Putin warns 3rd parties against creating Ukraine no-fly zone

[dalton99a]

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-3d9e50b2fa8b08ce1f74c1b09403186e

Putin warns 3rd parties against creating Ukraine no-fly zone
By YURAS KARMANAU

LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Vladimir Putin warned Saturday that Russia would consider any third-party declaration of a no-fly zone over Ukraine as participation in the war there, while Ukrainian officials blamed Russian shelling for breaching a cease-fire arranged in two cities to evacuate civilians.

The struggle to enforce the cease-fire in Mariupol, a strategic port in the southeast, and the eastern city of Volnovakha showed the fragility of efforts to stop fighting across Ukraine as the number of people fleeing the country reached 1.4 million just 10 days after Russian forces invaded.

Putin accused Ukraine of sabotaging the evacuation and even claimed Ukraine’s leadership was calling into question the future of the country’s statehood, saying that “If this happens, it will be entirely on their conscience.”

Earlier, the Russian defense ministry said it had agreed with Ukraine on evacuation routes out of Volnovakha and Mariupol, the site of growing misery amid an ongoing assault that created desperate scenes at hospitals and raised the prospect of food and water shortages for hundreds of thousands of people in freezing weather.

[MontanaMama]

1. Putler is absolutely out of his mind.

He needs to leave the planet.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

2. Putin likens sanctions to a 'declaration of war,' says invasion pushback risks future of Ukrainian s

According to Putin, a no-fly zone will be a declaration of war on Russia

Link to tweet

The United States, Britain and others have so far ruled out supporting a no-fly zone, stating that it would be likely to severely escalate the conflict.

But Putin went one step further Saturday, saying that any countries enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be considered “participants in a military conflict.” The Russian president claimed that his country would see “any movement in this direction” as an intervention in its military operations in Ukraine that would “pose a threat to our service members.”

“We’ll instantly view them as participants in a military conflict,” Putin said.