close
close

Putin's ally claims any ceasefire with Ukraine “means the certain death of our children”

The war between Ukraine and Russia has been raging for more than two and a half years.

The war between Ukraine and Russia has been raging for more than two and a half years. via Associated Press

One of Vladimir Putin's Top ally has claimed to agree to any kind of ceasefire with Ukraine “is the certain death of our children.”

According to the United Kingdom Ministry of DefenseDmitry Rogozhin – Russia’s appointed “senator” in the occupied Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia – warned in a social media post against any kind of agreement to end the Russian-Ukrainian war.

According to the Defense Ministry, he also boasted about burning Ukrainian books and called for all Ukrainians to be 'burned out at the roots'.

British intelligence added: “These comments are the latest in a long line of Ukrainophobic statements by senior Russian officials which undermine and threaten Ukrainian identity and culture.

“There are probably many individuals within the Russian state who have maximalist goals for the war, including the destruction of Ukrainian culture, identity and statehood.”

The Defense Ministry noted that such a mood contradicts Russia's “alleged willingness to negotiate,” which presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed just last month.

Since Peskov's comments, however, Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into southern Russia, breaking through the country's borders for the first time since World War II.

It currently occupies 1,000 square kilometers of Russian soil – only a fraction of the Ukrainian territory that Russia currently owns (about 109,000 square kilometers).

Nevertheless, Kyiv's bold move has angered the Kremlin and does not seem to have persuaded it to negotiate an end to the war.

According to the state news agency TASS, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov issued a threatening statement on Thursday.

He said: “I tell you honestly that the President has made a decision.

“I am firmly convinced that everyone will be severely punished for what happened in the Kursk region.”

And as the Defense Ministry noted, the Kremlin has been questioning Ukraine's sovereignty for years.

British intelligence also noted that Putin said in 2017 that Russia was determined to “eradicate” Ukraine's sovereignty.

Related…