Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova issued a sharp rebuke to Western governments, warning that any foreign military personnel deployed to Ukraine would be treated as legitimate targets by Russian forces. She accused President Zelensky of manipulating election rules to cling to power and claimed growing Western unease over forced mobilization, fleeing conscripts, and the misuse of military aid. Zakharova dismissed Kyiv’s allegations of Russia abducting Ukrainian children as fabricated, instead accusing Ukrainian authorities of persecuting Russian-speaking minors. She also underscored Armenia’s continued CSTO membership, criticized EU leaders for misleading their citizens about the war’s costs, and said the Ukraine crisis exposes the failures of Europe’s security architecture.
News/World News/ Putin aide calls out UK’s lies over Ukraine war; ‘Stop deceiving your citizens…’ | Russia | Starmer