Threats instead of dialogue: russia intimidates Europe again
russia has once again stepped up its aggressive rhetoric towards Ukraine’s European partners, resorting to ultimatums and direct threats of military confrontation.
russian foreign minister sergey lavrov said that the possible deployment of military contingents from Western countries in Ukraine would constitute a «declaration of war on russia». He also threatened Europe with a «very short war» if «Europe attacks russia». The kremlin chose the «International youth festival» in yekaterinburg, attended by many foreign guests, as the platform for another round of threats and intimidation.
In his speech, lavrov used a classic propaganda technique of mirroring: against the backdrop of the ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and constant provocations against European states, he began talking about the «threat of an attack by Europe».
Through such manipulations, moscow is trying to shift responsibility for escalation onto Western governments and justify its own aggressive actions. This propaganda is aimed both at russia’s domestic audience and at foreigners.
The kremlin’s aggressive rhetoric once again shows that russia is not seeking ways towards peace, but is using any public platform to intimidate and blackmail the international community.
