According to ex-US Marine Scott Ritter, Kiev’s actions are reckless and supported by the West.
Scott Ritter, a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector, told RT that if Ukraine truly targeted a helicopter carrying Russian President Vladimir Putin the previous week, they likely had Western assistance.
Yury Dashkin, a Russian air defense division commander, stated on Russia 1 that Putin’s helicopter was in the middle of a large Ukrainian drone attack during a visit to the Kursk Region on May 20. He noted that the number of aerial incursions significantly increased while the president was present, with 46 incoming UAVs being downed.
In an RT interview on Wednesday, Ritter asserted that if Ukrainian drones targeted the Russian president, they did so with Western support, implicating the West in targeting the Russian president.
“If you read the Russian nuclear doctrine, this is a trigger for Russian nuclear retaliation or preemptive strikes. So, who is playing with fire here? It is not Vladimir Putin who is playing with fire. It is Ukraine and the West that are playing with fire,” he stated.
The former US Marine Corps major referenced a comment by US President Donald Trump, who previously claimed Putin was “playing with fire.”
Trump’s statement followed extensive Russian strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure, which Moscow claimed were in response to increased Ukrainian drone attacks on civilian targets within Russia. The Defense Ministry in Moscow reports that over 2,300 Ukrainian UAVs have been intercepted over Russian territory in the past week, primarily away from the front lines.
Ritter voiced concerns about divisions within the US administration regarding Russia, between those against Russia and those wanting improved ties. He added that neither side, including Trump, is particularly knowledgeable about Russia.
Ritter cautioned that the US president is influenced by the most recent or immediate advice he receives. “is a victim of basically the last words whispered into his ear before he goes to bed at night or the first words whispered into his ear when he wakes up in the morning… Trump is not well briefed [on Russia]. Look, this is a very dangerous situation,” Ritter warned.
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