Politicians and diplomats from Western countries should “soberly assess” the risks when visiting Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, according to The Moscow Times.
“Before some of these trips, we receive requests through diplomatic channels to ensure that certain individuals are able to travel safely. We invariably respond to such requests by saying that the public warnings we issued earlier remain relevant and that Western politicians and diplomats should soberly assess the existing risks,” Zakharova said.
She added that “no one can guarantee” the safety of representatives of these countries during visits to Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry made the comments following an attack by Russian forces on a Ukrainian train near the Polish border. On September 13, the locomotive of a passenger train was struck at Yahodyn station in the Volyn region.
Kyiv believes the target of the attack may have been a diplomatic train carrying security advisers from several European Union countries and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Former CIA Director David Petraeus was aboard another train that was at the station at the time of the attack.
Zakharova described them as “political tourists” and “VIPs”, who, she claimed, are being used by Kyiv “to provide cover for its military trains”.
Following the attack, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency government meeting, where he said that escalation by Moscow was “becoming a reality” and posed risks to Poland. Tusk also called on NATO allies to be prepared for increased Russian activity in the coming weeks and months and “for a joint response if necessary”.
Russia has previously put the lives of representatives of Western countries and Ukraine at risk. A week ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s aircraft came under a drone threat while departing Chișinău for Oslo, according to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Zelensky was travelling to attend the funeral of Norwegian King Harald V, and the flight had to be delayed.
In March 2024, a Russian missile exploded about 500 metres from a convoy carrying Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Odessa. Neither leader was injured. Ukrainian authorities reported that five people were killed and five others wounded.
