“A direct confrontation with the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is not in Russia’s interest, and we hope that Washington and other Western capitals realize how dangerous this situation is,” Riabkov said in an interview for Sputnik.

The Russian military began large-scale precision missile strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, military communications and command posts on Monday, in retaliation to Saturday’s terror attack against the Crimean Bridge and other acts of terror attributed to Kiev. The raids continue this Tuesday.

“Today the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued to conduct massed strikes using high-precision, long-range air and sea-based weapons at military command and control facilities and the energy system of Ukraine. The goal of the strikes has been reached. All designated targets were hit,” Ministry of Defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement Tuesday.

The deputy foreign minister lamented “the growing involvement of Western countries in the conflict on the side of the Kiev regime”, a trend that is evident with the incessant large-scale aid and training of the Ukrainian military in the territory of NATO member countries.

Riabkov said that Washington and its European allies deliver real-time intelligence information and satellite images in, including the designation of targets so that the Ukrainian Armed Forces can plan operations and carry out artillery attacks against Russia.

The deputy minister also recalled that leaders at various levels in the United States and Europe are calling to inflict a defeat on Moscow on the battlefield.

“Russia will be forced to take appropriate countermeasures, particularly of an asymmetric nature,” Ryabkov concluded.

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