“Madness and scaremongering continues…what if we would say that [the] US could seize London in a week and cause 300K civilian deaths? All this based on our intelligence sources that we won’t disclose. Would it feel right for Americans and Britts [sic]? It’s as wrong for Russians and Ukrainians”, Polyanskiy tweeted.
The remarks came shortly after The Washington Post and The New York Times quoted unnamed US officials as claiming that a possible “invasion” of Ukraine by Russia would also claim the lives of up to 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers and at least 10,000 Russian military personnel.
The officials reportedly added that the hostilities might also result in one to five million refugees, with most of them ostensibly heading to Poland.
Unnamed congressional sources were separately cited by Fox News as saying that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley told lawmakers that Kiev could fall within 72 hours if a full-blown Russian “invasion” of Ukraine takes place.
The claims were purportedly made by Milley during closed-door briefings on 2-3 February, when he also reportedly asserted that the “invasion” could cause the deaths of 15,000 Ukrainian troops and 4,000 Russian soldiers.
This was preceded by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that the Bloomberg news agency’s recent false report concerning the Russian “invasion” underscores the danger of “aggressive statements” by the West on the matter.
“This is a perfect demonstration of how dangerous the situation is when provoked by the endless aggressive statements that come from Washington, from London, and from other European governments”, Peskov pointed out.
He said he does not think that the news agency’s false headline was a provocation, adding that “[…] this is probably also a great demonstration of how such messages can lead to irreparable consequences”.
Bloomberg previously published what appeared to be a pre-written headline claiming Russia had launched an invasion of Ukraine before deleting it and admitting the mistake, saying the circumstances of the incident are now under investigation.
Tensions surrounding Ukraine have been simmering over recent months, fueled by unproven claims by the West and Kiev that Russia is purportedly planning to “invade” the country.
The Kremlin has vehemently rejected the allegations, slamming them as a pretext for NATO’s military presence to be expanded and more alliance troops to be deployed to Eastern Europe. Moscow has also emphasized its right to relocate troops within its own borders. So far, the US, UK, Canada, and the Baltic States have supplied several batches of lethal arms to Ukraine, with Washington also dispatching additional forces to neighboring Poland and Romania.
