The key facts
- Shoigu stated that Russia does not plan to attack European countries
- He linked the daily accusations of hybrid war to the West's need for an image of an enemy
- Earlier, according to Life.ru, Shoigu warned of attempts to destabilize the Union State
Statement at the press conference
On November 2, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei Shoigu called on Western countries to stop accusing Moscow of waging a hybrid war and not to provoke confrontation. Speaking at a press conference held as part of the international week 'Peoples of Russia,' he said: 'God forbid you live to see the day when Russia starts waging a hybrid war against you. Live in peace, there is no need to attack us — we are not planning to attack anyone.' This was reported by Life.ru.
The essence of the criticism of Western policy
In Shoigu's view, Western policy is built on a constant search for an adversary: European countries need an image of an external threat, which is why, according to him, statements about a hybrid war allegedly being waged by Russia are heard almost daily. He recalled that President Vladimir Putin has publicly stated several times over the past two months that Moscow has no plans to attack Europe, yet Western politicians, in the Security Council secretary's words, continue to claim the opposite.
Context of previous statements
Earlier, the same outlet reported that Shoigu warned of Western attempts to destabilize the Union State of Russia and Belarus. In his view, Western countries may step up interference in the internal affairs of the two states after the failure of their efforts to change the course of the conflict in Ukraine.
