Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday stated that the sanctions imposed on his country are “equivalent to a declaration of war.”

Putin also stated that there are no intentions in Russia to declare a state of emergency or to call up existing conscripts for the “operation” in Ukraine.

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“We could have taken a different course of action,” he said. “We could have helped the republics of Donbas at the contact line and reinforced them with the Russian army, but in this case, and I mean with the unwavering support from the west, we would have radicals on the other side coming endlessly… with support from the west.”

“Our General Staff, the Ministry of Defense, went the other way; the first thing they did was to destroy the entire military infrastructure [of Ukraine], well, not all of it, but partially, mostly. Warehouses with weapons, ammunition, aviation, air defense systems,” he added.

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Putin stated that they have nearly completed the destruction of Ukraine’s air defence systems.

Earlier in the day Putin had warned countries against implementing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying that any who do so will be regarded in conflict with Moscow.

“Any movement in this direction will be considered by us as participation in an armed conflict by that country,” stated the 69-year-old during a meeting with Aeroflot employees after the state-owned airline announced the cancellation of practically all overseas flights beginning March 8.

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Putin went on to argue that imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine would have “colossal and catastrophic consequences not only for Europe but also the whole world.”

His warning comes a day after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked the West for its reluctance to implement a no-fly zone over the country in eastern Europe.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Zelensky stated, “NATO has deliberately decided not to cover the skies over Ukraine.”