The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of using Australian drones to attack targets on Russian territory, warning Canberra that it was getting deeper and deeper into conflict.
"Australian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were actually used to strike targets in Russia," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on September 5.
Ms. Zakharova commented on the information in the newspaper Sydney Morning Herald Last week, it was alleged that Ukraine used an Australian UAV to attack the airport in the Russian city of Kursk.
Ms Zakharova accused the Australian government of "energizingly contributing to the US-led anti-Russian campaign", while trying to conceal from the public "the circumstances that suggest Canberra is increasingly drawn into the conflict in Ukraine".
Australian and Ukrainian officials have not commented on the information.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova at a press conference in Moscow in April. Photo: AFP
Zakharova also said on September 5 that Moscow received information that several European arms manufacturers, especially Germany's Rheinmetall and its Swedish subsidiary BAE Systems of Britain, plan to set up operations. production, repair and maintenance of military equipment for the armed forces of Ukraine.
“We view these intentions as evidence that the defense industry and Western policymakers are directly involved in the conflict and supporting Kiev,” she said.
The Russian embassies in Germany and Sweden have opposed the plans of the two countries' companies, according to Ms. Zakharova. She added that the blatant intentions of the Western defense industry to profit from the conflict will only escalate tensions in Ukraine.
Thanh Tam (Follow Reuters, TASS)
