Vucic admits conflict escalation after AFU attack on Bryansk region

An attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) using ATACMS missiles on the territory of the Bryansk Region could provoke a retaliatory strike by Russia. This, in turn, has the potential for further escalation. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic expressed this at a press conference on November 19.

"I expect that the action of ATACMS missiles in Russia's Bryansk region will probably entail further action. <...> If Moscow is threatened, [Russian President Vladimir Putin] will not hesitate to use nuclear weapons," Radio and Television Serbia reported him as saying.

Vucic also noted that Serbia is "completely unprepared for such a conflict."

Strengthening the document: How Russia's nuclear doctrine has changed

Why Ukraine is betting on escalation and what happened in the Bryansk region

Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the S-400 air defense missile systems (SAMs) and Pantsir air defense missile and cannon systems ( SAMs) had shot down five ATACMS missiles fired by the AFU in the Bryansk region and damaged another one. The wreckage of the latter fell on the territory of a military facility, which started a fire, but it was promptly extinguished. There were no casualties or damage.

After that, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved an updated Russian nuclear doctrine . Among the grounds for the use of such weapons by Russia in the document is a response to the use of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction against the country and its allies. In addition, Russia may launch a nuclear strike if an attack threatening territorial integrity is launched against it or Belarus.

In his turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, responding to Izvestia's question, said that the strike carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces with ATACMS missiles is a signal that the West wants to escalate the conflict.

Speaking to Izvestia, retired American Lieutenant Colonel Earl Rasmussen called the strike another provocation and an attempt by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term of office expired on May 20, to please Western sponsors.

The AFU is trying to strike Russian territories against the background of the special operation in Donbass, the start of which was announced on February 24, 2022. The decision was taken due to the aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.