Russia could target Nato peacekeepers in Ukraine with destructive strikes if foreign troops return fire against Russian soldiers, military analyst Andrey Kolesnik has warned.
Kolesnik warned that alliance positions could be hit by a very nasty munition, speaking in an interview with the Russian news outlet Gazeta.Ru following European reports on potential troop deployments.
British newspaper The Guardian reported that British and other European service personnel, who could be deployed to Ukraine as peacekeepers following a ceasefire, would be authorised to return fire if attacked by Russian forces.
Kolesnik described the reported rules of engagement as a new spiral of escalation, arguing that Western nations were tightening tensions further. He said the policy could result in a very nasty munition being used against the locations where these instructors are stationed.
Military rules of engagement govern the circumstances under which armed forces may initiate or continue military action, with standard peacekeeping mandates typically permitting personnel to fire in self-defence if they come under attack.
Trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi
Kolesnik said European countries were using the media reports to create a less favourable atmosphere ahead of trilateral negotiations on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, an oil-rich Gulf nation that has maintained diplomatic channels with both Moscow and Western governments throughout the conflict.
Russian Colonel-General Nikolai Bordyuzha also weighed in on Western involvement, stating that special forces units from many Western nations were already active on Ukrainian territory.
Bordyuzha said representatives of Nato were continuing to deliberately raise the stakes in the conflict and increase the level of confrontation.
Western military alliance
Bordyuzha is a senior Russian military figure who previously served as the secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a mutual defence alliance of post-Soviet nations led by Moscow.
Nato, the 32-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization, has provided weapons and financial assistance to Ukraine, though member states have consistently sought to avoid direct combat clashes between their own armed forces and Russian troops.
While European nations have discussed potential peacekeeping options to monitor a future cessation of hostilities, Kolesnik argued that publicising return-fire directives was intended to complicate upcoming diplomatic talks.
