Putin Propagandist Floats Terrorist Attacks Against West Over Ukraine Aid

A Russian-state TV analyst called for terrorist attacks against the West over its support for Ukraine amid its war with Russia.

Many Western countries, including the United States, have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in aid and weaponry to help it beat back Russia’s invasion, which critics say was unprovoked and unjustified, ordered by President Vladimir Putin in February 2022. Western military aid has been credited with helping Ukrainian forces turn the tide of the war, enabling them to launch counteroffensives to reclaim occupied territory and prevent Russia from making substantial gains.

However, this support has faced condemnation from Moscow as Kremlin leaders argue the West overstepped boundaries by providing Ukraine powerful weapons, particularly those that allow their troops to launch attacks behind Russian lines. The support has prompted threats from Russian leaders and analysts.

The latest threat came from analyst Igor Shishkin, director of the CIS Countries Institute, who said during an appearance on Russian-state TV that “blood should be flowing” in the West over its support for Ukraine. Video of his remarks was translated and posted to Twitter by journalist Julia Davis.

Shishkin accused the West of becoming “more brazen” by providing Ukraine additional powerful weapons than in the initial aid packages because there was no “retaliation” from Russia.

“Power and fear are the only things that work. They won’t stop until they feel fear. Therefore, there are two options,” he said. “Either a victorious completion of the special military operation. But if that isn’t doable right now for some reason, then they have to start suffering losses right now.”

He continued: “If France delivers weapons that kill Russian people, blood should be flowing on the streets of France. If Germany sends tanks that kill Russian soldiers, blood should be flowing in the streets of Germany.”

Shishkin said these attacks should be conducted through “proxies,” suggesting a “fighter against colonialism” could conduct these attacks on behalf of Moscow, without naming any specific terrorist organizations.

He received pushback from only one other analyst, Dmitry Lekuh, who instead suggested Russia should conduct nuclear strikes against the West as an alternative form of retribution.

“If we engage in these acts, we won’t be striking the elites. If we become a terrorist country, it would be bad for us and not for them. If we suddenly feel like a terrorist country, I would rather bang London with a nuclear bomb,” he said.

Newsweek has reached out via email to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.

Russian-state TV hosts have made a number of threats or calls for violence against the West since the war began.

The rhetoric used on state TV has often gone further than that of Russian officials, who have offered mixed signals about whether they would support actions against the West. However, these outlets are viewed as toeing the Kremlin line, as the government has cracked down on dissent amid the war.