Medvedev says no-fly zone over Ukraine will mean NATO-Russia war

ISTANBUL

The creation of a no-fly zone over Ukraine will mean the outbreak of a war between Moscow and NATO, Deputy Head of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday.

In a statement on Telegram, Medvedev said he was “amused” by Eastern Sentry, a new NATO initiative launched to shield and protect allies in the eastern flank after drone incursions into Poland last week.

“But seriously, the implementation of the provocative idea of ​​… creating a ‘no-fly zone over Ukraine’ and the ability for NATO countries to shoot down our UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) will mean only one thing - a war between NATO and Russia,” Medvedev said.

Commenting on the idea of the use of frozen Russian assets in the West to bolster Ukraine’s military, Medvedev said Moscow will pursue EU states “until the end of time” should they try to seize these assets.

Medvedev, who has served as the country's president as well as prime minister, said Russia will do so “in all possible ways” and “in all possible international and national courts.” “And in some cases, out of court,” he added, without further elaboration.

NATO announced on Friday that its Allied Command Operations (ACO) will execute Operation Eastern Sentry along NATO’s eastern flank to “further strengthen our posture to shield and protect all Allies.”

“The multi-domain activity, which will commence in the coming days and continue for an undisclosed amount of time, is in response to ongoing airspace violations, including the numerous Russian drones that violated Poland’s airspace on September 10,” the statement added.

Russia denied any intention to strike targets on Polish territory, saying its strikes that day targeted enterprises of Kyiv’s military-industrial complex in western Ukraine.

On Sunday, head of Ukraine's presidential office Andriy Yermak said the recent drone incursion into Poland proved the need to create a no-fly zone over his country. "This will be protection not only for us, but also for all neighbors," he added.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski expressed personal support for the initiative in an interview published Monday morning with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. He said the idea was discussed a year ago when former US President Joe Biden was still in the Oval Office.