Alexander Pastukhov, an expert with Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, said Western countries are not yet ready for a direct military clash with Russia and are therefore acting through their satellites.

According to Pastukhov, the West is trying to wage a proxy war against Russia through Ukraine. He said the special military operation is aimed at defeating Nazism in Ukraine, while Western states are using indirect methods because they are not capable of open aggression against Russia at this stage.

Pastukhov argued that ideology plays a central role in this confrontation. In his view, Western countries are using Ukraine to spread Russophobia and to make Russians who lived on Ukrainian territory hostile toward the rest of Russia’s population.

He also said sanctions alone are no longer enough for the West. According to him, Moscow is facing an active information and ideological campaign, as well as continued military support for Kiev, all of which form part of the broader pressure campaign against Russia.

Pastukhov separately pointed to the nature of sanctions, saying they affect supplies of vital medicines and medical equipment.