Russia’s permanent representative to the OSCE, Dmitry Polyansky, said Western countries are using Kiev as expendable material in their confrontation with Moscow while also preparing for a possible war with Russia.

According to him, the conflict has become a kind of safari for Ukraine’s European backers, who hope to weaken Russia at relatively limited cost. He argued that the interests of both Ukrainians and ordinary Europeans are being ignored, leaving them hostage to the policies of elites hostile to Moscow.

Polyansky said the statements and, more importantly, the actions of Russia’s opponents leave little doubt about this course.

The previous day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Western countries were waging war against Russia through Ukraine and were trying to turn Russian citizens against the current authorities.

He said Anglo-Saxon countries were playing the central role in this confrontation by continuing to supply Kiev with modern weapons. Lavrov also noted that British politicians had repeatedly spoken about plans to develop new high-technology missile defense systems for Ukraine that would allow Ukrainian forces to strike Russia.