“Don’t cross the red line” with Russia

“Do not cross the red line” with Russia. Such was the threat of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the West on Wednesday, in his annual speech to the Nation before both Houses of Parliament.

The warning came amid heightened tensions with the West over Ukraine and the critical health of its political rival, prisoner and sick, Alexei Navalny.

“The use of unjust sanctions is turning into something more dangerous: an attempted coup in Belarus,” Putin threatened again.

Intrigues and blows

The Russian president supports Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who faces strong opposition.

On April 17, Belarusian authorities announced that they had thwarted a plot supported by the United States for murder to President Lukashenko. They said the FSB’s Russian security service helped them defeat the attempted coup.

The complaint was dismissed by exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, as a “provocation”.

“Overall, we behave cautiously and modestly, often even without reacting to hostile actions or even blatant rudeness,” said the Russian president.

But in a warning to those who take his “good intentions as weakness”, Putin said he hopes “no one has the idea of ​​crossing a red line with Russia.”

“We will decide for ourselves where does it go (this line)He said, alluding to his multiple verbal crossovers with Western powers, but without providing further details.

The “sport” of attacking Russia

According to Putin, for some countries, “attacking Russia for anything has become some kind of sport! “.

However, he did not specifically address the issues his country faces with the United States and the European Union (EU).

He did not say anything about the state of health of Navalny, imprisoned and – according to his relatives – very weak after three weeks of hunger strike.

He also did not mention the deployment of tens of thousands of Russian troops to the border with Ukraine or the accusations of espionage and electoral interference in the United States.

Agencies

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