Russia Threatens ‘Severe Consequences’ Should Foreign Forces Enter Ukraine

On Wednesday, Russia warned that deploying foreign soldiers to Ukraine has severe implications, a danger that a majority of Western countries supposedly do not understand.

“As always, there are countries that take a rampant position that either do not understand or do not want to understand the terrible consequences of such reckless actions. And there are countries that understand reality much better,” state-run news agency TASS quoted Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov as saying.

This came after proposals by the so-called "coalition of the willing" to send military forces to Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron last week announced that 26 nations, predominantly European, have officially agreed to send troops as part of a hypothetical Russian-Ukrainian ceasefire, although not necessarily to front-line positions.

Speaking at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following the coalition meeting, Macron explained that the countries would provide a "reassurance force" that could deploy troops in Ukraine or offer assistance on land, sea, or in the air.

This followed the September 4 virtual coalition meeting, co-chaired by Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The coalition, comprising about 30 predominantly European nations, has committed to providing security assurances to Ukraine.

In a reaction to the recent Poland UAV incident, the Russian Defence Ministry declared that it welcomes negotiations with the Polish authorities.

“No facilities in Poland were planned to be targetted,” the Russian military department said.

They added that the maximum range of the UAVs, which allegedly flew over Polish territory, does not exceed 700 km.

“However, we are ready to hold consultations with the Polish Defense Ministry on this matter,” the Russian Defense Ministry emphasised.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk characterized the drone incursion as a "large-scale provocation."

“Most likely, we are witnesses to a large-scale provocation,” Tusk said before an emergency government meeting in a statement telecast by Polish public broadcaster TVP Info.

He observed that this is the first time that "Russian drones were shot down over the territory of a NATO country," though the origin of the wreckage of the UAV is still unverified. Tusk confirmed that all drones that represented a threat were disabled and stated that the situation was under control with no casualties.