A senior Russian official warned Ukraine on Tuesday that any attempt to regain control of the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula would be considered a “declaration of war” by Moscow. Despite international condemnation and the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II, Russian President Vladimir Putin has argued that his invasion was tantamount to a “special military operation” rather than a formal declaration of war. “For us, Crimea is part of Russia. And it will be forever. Any attempt to invade Crimea is a declaration of war in our country,” Russian Security Council Vice President Dmitry Medvedev told Russian media on Tuesday. The members of the service take part in a military parade on Victory Day, which marks the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, in the capital of Chechnya, Grozny, Russia, May 9, 2022. (REUTERS / Chingis Kondarov) TOP COLONEL NATIONAL AIR GUARD: UKRAINIAN PILOTS “100%” ABLE TO FALL BETS FOURTH GENERATION Medvedev reiterated Russia’s opposition to Ukraine’s membership in NATO and suggested that if it did so in the midst of the ongoing conflict, the result would be “catastrophic.” The Russian official said that the push for Sweden and Finland to join NATO “does not threaten Russia with anything particularly new.” But he added that if Ukraine tried to join the military alliance, it would be “much more dangerous because of the unresolved territorial disputes.” Medvedev said that if a NATO member invaded Crimea, it would mean “a conflict with the entire North Atlantic Alliance. World War III. Complete destruction.” While Sweden and Finland are continuing negotiations with Turkey on NATO membership, no such moves have been made with Ukraine. A woman wrapped in a Ukrainian flag attends the funeral of activist and soldier Roman Ratushnyi in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, June 18, 2022. Ratushnyi died in a battle near Izyum, where Russian and Ukrainian troops are fighting for control of the region. (AP) TOP PILOTS Ukrainian pilots push us for jets, Senator SAYS LEGISLATORS WILL “PRESS THE CASE” WITH THE WHITE HOUSE In the run-up to the Russian invasion in February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would work to retake the Crimean peninsula after it was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. Putin, who has called for an annexation referendum – which the UN and the international community have called illegal – said similar votes would be held in other parts of Ukraine. Zelensky has vowed to continue fighting Russia until its forces are repulsed by Ukraine, but acknowledged last month that a military withdrawal of Russian troops from Crimea was unlikely to be an option. A Ukrainian soldier stands at a checkpoint near the village of Krymske, in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (AP Photo / Vadim Ghirda) CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION “I do not think we can restore our entire territory by military means. If we decide to follow this path, we will lose hundreds of thousands of people,” he said. Although Zelensky was adamant that “Ukraine will take everything back. Everything”. Caitlin McFall is a Fox News Digital reporter. You can contact her at [email protected] or at @ctlnmcfall on Twitter.
