Lavrov announced the “almost real” war of the West against Russia

The West is not waging a hybrid war against Russia, but almost a real one, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a joint press conferences with his colleague from South Africa Naledi Pandor.

“When we talk about what is happening in Ukraine, we are talking about the fact that this is a war, it is almost not hybrid, but almost real, which the West has been preparing for a long time against Russia, trying to destroy everything Russian, from language to culture, that was in Ukraine for centuries, and forbidding people to speak their native language,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov also pointed out that Western leaders involved in the signing of the Minsk agreements admitted that the agreements were only aimed at buying time, during which Ukraine continued to be pumped with weapons to project a threat against Russia from Kyiv.

“Threats, let me remind you, are right on our borders… we have been warning for many years that the Minsk agreements should be implemented,” he said.

The Russian authorities have repeatedly accused the West of unleashing a hybrid war against the Russian Federation. In particular, in September 2022, Lavrov stated that these actions found “unprecedented character”. He noted that the purpose of the hybrid war is the destruction of the Russian economy and stability in the country, as well as the isolation of the Russian Federation in the international arena. January 20, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov toldthat the course taken by the United States to defeat Russia “on the battlefield” is leading the world to a “catastrophic scenario.”

Russia’s special operation in Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin called the protection of the inhabitants of Donbass, as well as the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, its goals. During the special operation at the end of September, the LPR, DPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions became part of Russia. Later, martial law was introduced on the territory of these regions.