Ukraine joining NATO could lead to a third world war, the deputy secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation said.
Alexander Venediktov told the state TASS news agency in an interview on Thursday morning (October 13) that Ukraine's capital Kyiv is "well aware" that the move would mean a "guaranteed escalation to a World War Three."
"Apparently, that's what they are counting on - to create informational noise and draw attention to themselves once again," TASS cited Mr Venediktov as saying. Mr Venediktov also reiterated the Russian notion that by helping Ukraine, the West "are a direct party to the conflict".
READ MORE: Kyiv bombed for first time in months as people reportedly killed in strikes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a surprise bid for fast-track membership of the NATO military alliance at the end of September after President Vladimir Putin held a ceremony in Moscow to proclaim the four partially occupied regions as annexed Russian land.
The comment comes as Kyiv was struck by Iranian-made kamikaze drones early on Thursday morning, sending rescue workers rushing to the scene. It marks the fourth morning in a row of the capital residents waking to air raid sirens following Russia’s massive, deadly assault across the country on Monday.
Kyiv regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba said the strike occurred in the area around the capital city. It was not yet clear if there were any casualties. Deputy head of the presidential office Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on Telegram that “critical infrastructure facilities” in the area were hit, without offering any details on which ones.
In the southern city of Mykolaiv, overnight shelling destroyed a five-storey apartment building as fighting continued along Ukraine’s southern front. Mykolaiv regional governor Vitali Kim said that an 11-year-old boy was rescued from under the rubble, where he had spent six hours, and rescuers on Thursday morning were searching for seven more people, Mr Kim said.
He said that the building was hit by an S-300 missile which is ordinarily used for targeting military aircraft, but Russians have apparently been increasingly using them for unprecise ground strikes.
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