03:42Russia: 'We are not sending our tanks to their borders, but we have something to answer with, and using armoured vehicles will not be the end of it' - Putin
President Vladimir Putin claimed that while Moscow might not be sending tanks to the borders of Kiev’s Western allies, it would certainly have 'something to answer with', while speaking at a concert in Volgograd on Thursday, marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad.
"Those who expect to defeat Russia on the battlefield, apparently do not understand that a modern war with Russia will be quite different for them. We are not sending our tanks to their borders, but we have something to answer with, and using armoured vehicles will not be the end of it," Putin stated.
He also said it was 'unbelievable' that Russia was being 'threatened' with German tanks.
"Once again they are going to fight Russia on the land of Ukraine with the hands of Hitler's descendants, with the hands of the Banderites," he added.
On Wednesday, January 25, the German government approved the decision to transfer 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine. On the same day, US President Joe Biden announced that Washington was going to deliver 31 M-1 Abrams tanks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the allies for the decision to send 'modern and much-needed' vehicles and called for deliveries of aircraft and long-range missiles too.
Moscow accused the Western allies of escalating the conflict. On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said the tanks 'will be burned', while initiatives such as the one announced in Zabaykalsky to reward those who destroyed the Western-made vehicles would find 'even more enthusiasts'.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Friday, January 27, that 'any Western weaponry that gets into Ukraine becomes a legitimate target for the Russian armed forces'.
On Monday, EU foreign policy spokesperson Peter Stano claimed that the supply of tanks to Ukraine was not an escalation by the West but 'a response to escalation by Russia'.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
03:42President Vladimir Putin claimed that while Moscow might not be sending tanks to the borders of Kiev’s Western allies, it would certainly have 'something to answer with', while speaking at a concert in Volgograd on Thursday, marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Battle of Stalingrad.
"Those who expect to defeat Russia on the battlefield, apparently do not understand that a modern war with Russia will be quite different for them. We are not sending our tanks to their borders, but we have something to answer with, and using armoured vehicles will not be the end of it," Putin stated.
He also said it was 'unbelievable' that Russia was being 'threatened' with German tanks.
"Once again they are going to fight Russia on the land of Ukraine with the hands of Hitler's descendants, with the hands of the Banderites," he added.
On Wednesday, January 25, the German government approved the decision to transfer 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine. On the same day, US President Joe Biden announced that Washington was going to deliver 31 M-1 Abrams tanks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the allies for the decision to send 'modern and much-needed' vehicles and called for deliveries of aircraft and long-range missiles too.
Moscow accused the Western allies of escalating the conflict. On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said the tanks 'will be burned', while initiatives such as the one announced in Zabaykalsky to reward those who destroyed the Western-made vehicles would find 'even more enthusiasts'.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Friday, January 27, that 'any Western weaponry that gets into Ukraine becomes a legitimate target for the Russian armed forces'.
On Monday, EU foreign policy spokesperson Peter Stano claimed that the supply of tanks to Ukraine was not an escalation by the West but 'a response to escalation by Russia'.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.