The West used Ukraine as a pretext for an “undeclared war” against Moscow, and put Russia in a position in which it had to protect its “very statehood,” the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev, claimed on Tuesday.Speaking at a meeting of the Security Council’s scientific advisory board, Patrushev said the current “unprecedented geopolitical crisis” was caused by the Western-led destruction of “the global security architecture and the international legal system.” He added that instead of engaging in constructive dialogue with Moscow, the US and its allies conducted a “military-political expansion towards Russia,” built up support for the Ukrainian government, and pushed Kiev “to carry out a large-scale violent action in eastern Ukraine.” According to Patrushev, the main objective of the West has been to create conditions for the establishment of a Western-controlled regime in Russia, “as it was already tested on Ukraine and a number of other states.” The military operation in Ukraine prevented this, he said, adding that Moscow had to take “preventive measures,” as the threats to national security reached a level that endangered “the very statehood of Russia and its existence.”

The current sanctions and “global anti-Russian campaign launched by the Americans and their satellites,” Patrushev argued, “convincingly proves that Ukraine has become a pretext for waging an undeclared war against Russia.” He also claimed that the “aggression” against Moscow has an ideological dimension.“The situation around Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine shows that the neoliberalism of the collective West is transforming before our eyes into the ideology of neoliberal fascism, aimed primarily at the eradication of the Russian world.”Patrushev echoed the statements of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who said earlier on Tuesday that the expression ‘unfriendly states’ in relation to the West is not entirely accurate. “I would say they are hostile states, because what they do is war,” he said. 

Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered Minsk Protocol was designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.Following the launch of Russia’s military attack on Ukraine, the US, EU, UK, Australia, Japan, and many other countries imposed sweeping sanctions on Moscow. Within less than three months, Russia has become the most sanctioned country in the world, surpassing Iran and North Korea.