Russia will consider any attempt by other countries to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine as involvement in the conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

“We are aware of the statements that it is necessary to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine. (…) Any step in this direction will be considered by us as participation in the armed conflict of a country from whose territory threats will be created for our military. We will immediately consider them as participants in the conflict, regardless of the organizations to which they belong,” Putin said.

The Russian leader stressed that Ukraine’s entry into NATO will allow the Atlantic Alliance to support the Kyiv authorities in the event of any armed conflict.

Putin recalled that the reintegration of Crimea into Russia after the referendum held in 2014 was not recognized by the countries of the bloc, so he did not rule out the possibility of an invasion of the peninsula in the event of Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance.

Putin demands that they demilitarize Ukraine and recognize Crimea to stop attacks

“Then we will have to fight against the whole of NATO. With the entire NATO organization. What is it? Are the consequences clear or not? I think everyone understands them,” he indicated.

The Russian president announced on February 24 the launch of a “special military operation” in Ukraine; he argued that the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, previously recognized by Moscow as sovereign states, need help in the face of “genocide” by Kyiv.

One of the fundamental objectives of this operation, according to Putin, is “the demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the military attacks are not directed against civilian installations, but rather seek to disable the war infrastructure.

Many countries strongly condemned Russia’s intervention in Ukraine and activated various batteries of individual and sectoral sanctions.