Kathrine Frich
Zakharova used the press conference to make Moscow’s position perfectly clear.
War rarely respects borders.
When a conflict drags on for years, safe zones far from the fighting can suddenly find themselves drawn into the crosshairs.
Now, a stark warning from Moscow is pushing that invisible line even further west.
Expanding the target list
A blunt threat emerged from Moscow on Wednesday. According to Reuters cited by Digi24, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova declared that any European factory producing weapons for Ukraine is now a legitimate military target.
The warning came after reporters asked about Poland. Officials in Warsaw recently showed interest in hosting a factory to build Patriot interceptor missiles for the Ukrainian military.
Zakharova used the press conference to make Moscow’s position perfectly clear. She dismissed the idea that these production sites are safe simply because they sit outside a designated war zone.
“Arms factories in European countries that produce weapons for Ukraine are potential military targets for Russia, and one should not assume that military factories located outside Ukrainian territory that produce weapons for the Kiev regime will be safe,” Zakharova stated.
Crossing the line
She went on to add a chilling reminder for neighboring nations. “Anyone who thinks this is mistaken,” she warned.
Western allies have repeatedly vowed to stand firmly behind Kyiv. NATO members continue to pledge military support to help Ukrainian forces push back the Russian advance and shoot down incoming drones.
But Russian officials view this ongoing supply chain as direct participation. Zakharova argued that European governments have crossed a very dangerous line by building these massive facilities.
Pushing peace away
“European countries are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine,” she said. She noted that Western allies are no longer just sending financial aid or surplus gear from old warehouses.
“By opening arms factories and joint ventures, they are fully involved,” Zakharova added.
Moscow blames this heavy industrial production for dragging out the fighting. The Kremlin firmly insists that deep Western intervention ruins any real chance of a swift diplomatic resolution.
“And this only postpones the resolution of the conflict, instead of bringing it closer, as some forces in Europe believe or imagine,” Zakharova concluded.
