Medvedev vows to strike Kyiv should Ukraine uses HIMARS systems against Russia

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, in an interview with Al Jazeera TV channel, stated that Russia would strike decision-making centres in Kyiv should Ukraine use USA's multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) against Russia.

"If these types of weapons are used against Russian territories, the armed forces of our country will have no choice but to act to defeat the decision-making centres," Dmitry Medvedev said.

The General Staff and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine could be the targets, Medvedev noted. According to him, the centres where final decisions are made are not located in Ukraine, so such a threat will have to be taken into account.

On June 1, US President Joe Biden announced that Washington, as part of a package of military assistance to Ukraine, would supply HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) and ammo to Kyiv. The delivery of the MLRS was made possible owing to additional funding for Kyiv that had recevied overwhelming support in Congress.

The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned such an initiative. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, any shipment of arms to Kyiv could increase the risk of a direct military confrontation between Russia and the United States. The White House was doing nothing to de-escalate the Ukrainian crisis, Ryabkov noted.

Medvedev also said that it was the special military operation that Russia was conducting in Ukraine. The operation is developing as planned, according to a scenario.

"It is military facilities that get targeted and destroyed. The Russian troops, the Russian armed forces are trying to threaten civilian objects as little as possible. We are trying to act in such a way that everything that is happening would affect the Armed Forces of Ukraine alone. Therefore, the operation that is being carried out by our troops was called a special military operation," Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation said.

The Russian special operation began on February 24. President Vladimir Putin said that the operation would be conducted to demilitarise and denazify Ukraine, as well as to provide its main goals the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, as well as assistance to Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. On May 20, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu said that the liberation of the territory of the LPR was nearing completion.