NATO Risks Global Conflict, Warns Russian Lawmaker Kolesnik
Russian MP Andrey Kolesnik warned that NATO’s plans to allow shooting down Russian jets mark a dangerous escalation that could push the world toward war.
Andrey Kolesnik, a member of the State Duma’s Defense Committee, warned that NATO is taking «giant strides» toward a third world war as alliance members consider rules that would allow them to shoot down Russian fighters. He described the move as a demonstrative escalation, arguing that Russian aircraft do not make uncoordinated incursions into the airspace of unfriendly states and that the West is deliberately stoking a new round of tensions.
Kolesnik also told Lenta.ru that while there are procedures for responding to accidental border violations, if NATO adopts a policy of shooting down all Russian aircraft, Moscow would respond in kind and begin downing alliance planes.
The remarks come against comments from NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte, who said that shooting down Russian aircraft would be a sign of weakness and that the alliance intends to «softly» expel intruding planes from its airspace.