Russian President Vladimir Putin is raising tensions as the war with Ukraine reaches a critical point. Specifically, Putin stated that if the West allows Ukraine to strike Russian territory with long-range missiles supplied by Western countries, it would mean that “NATO countries are at war with Russia.”

“If such a decision is made, it would mean nothing less than the direct involvement of NATO countries in the war in Ukraine. This would change the very nature of the war. It would mean that NATO countries are at war with Russia,” Putin declared in a video posted on Telegram by a journalist covering the Russian presidency.

Shortly before these comments, Russia announced that it had recaptured 10 villages in the Kursk region, where Ukraine had launched a large-scale invasion last month.

“Troops liberated 10 settlements in just two days,” the Russian Defense Minister reported in a Telegram post.

Meanwhile, Russia’s increasing aggressiveness on the battlefield in Ukraine is creating new conditions that are causing concern and alertness within the Western community regarding the level of support they will provide to Kyiv. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Russian army had begun a counteroffensive in the Russian western region of Kursk.

He also said that Ukraine had been expecting a counterattack.

Highlighting Russian brutality, Zelensky made the following post on the X platform, accompanied by a photo:

“Another crime by Russia. Today, the aggressor attacked vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross providing humanitarian aid in the Donetsk region.”

“As we know, two injured people are receiving special assistance. Unfortunately, three people were killed by the Russian attack. I express my sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” he added.

“In this war, everything is absolutely clear regarding Russian brutality. Ukraine is defending life. If anyone wants to ‘hear both sides,’ in Russia, this is perceived as the right to take lives,” Zelensky continued.

“The world must respond with courage and ethics. States and international organizations cannot remain indifferent. Only together can we pressure Russia to stop its terrorism and lead to peace,” the Ukrainian president concluded.