Ukraine’s deputy national security chief and leader of the nationalist group Right Sector threatened to destroy Russia’s gas pipelines in retaliation for the country’s recent actions in Ukraine.
Dmitry Yarosh, who is also running for president in the upcoming May elections in Ukraine, told media that this aggressive action would have to be attempted to stop “World War III” and punish Russia for their intervention into his native country, Forbes reports.
“We cannot allow the enemy to carry out a blitzkrieg attack on Ukrainian territory,” Yarosh said, according to The International Business Times.
“Let the ground burn under the feet of the occupiers! Let them choke on their own blood when they attack our territory! Not one step back! We will not allow Moscow’s beserk, totalitarian regime to spark a Third World War!” Yarosh declared in his interview with Ukrainian media.
This is not the first time that Yarosh has made an incendiary call for violence against Russia. Earlier in March, he called on a notorious Islamic terrorist to carry out attacks against Russia in the wake of worsening tensions between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
His organization Right Sector has also been accused of committing violence against pro-Kremlin protesters in Eastern Ukraine. Russia has issued a warrant for his arrest, along with another leader of the nationalist group, for charges of inciting terrorism and “extremism.”
On Sunday, Crimeans voted 97% in favor of seceding from Ukraine in a move that has been widely seen as furthering escalating the crisis in the Eastern European country and potentially making conflict between Russia and Ukraine more likely.