Russia accuses West of 'Russophobia,' threatens to 'put in place' its enemies

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Defense Secretary Austin participates in joint press conference with Slovak defense minister

Moscow on Thursday accused the West of "Russophobia" and threatened to "put in place" its enemies following a litany of crippling sanctions and renewed support for Ukraine amid Russia’s deadly invasion. 

"Russia has enough power to put in place all the brazen enemies of our country," Dmitry Medvedev, deputy secretary of Russia's security council, said. "We will continue to fight for the world order that suits the Russian Federation and our citizens."

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People look at the gutted remains of Russian military vehicles on a road in the town of Bucha, close to the capital of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 1.? (AP Photo/Serhii Nuzhnenko)

Medvedev, who also served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012, posted his comments to Telegram one day after President Biden said the U.S. would send an additional $800 million in defensive aid to Ukraine – pushing the total U.S. supply of defensive equipment for Kyiv to $1 billion this week alone. 

Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelenskyy has repeatedly asked the West to institute a no-fly zone or supply Kyiv with MiG-29 warplanes to help stop the onslaught of missile strikes. 

The U.S. and NATO have said no to both requests, citing concerns that they could spur Russia to expand its war outside of Ukraine and prompt a global campaign. 

Moscow was hit with crippling sanctions from not only NATO allies but also nations like Australia, New Zealand and Japan, which slapped their own fines on Russian banks, businesses, President Vladimir Putin, and other elite members of Russia's government and society. 

U.S. also imposed its promised sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and, along with Canada, enacted an oil ban on Russia’s top money-maker.

A semi-conscious woman is attended to by Ukrainian soldiers after crossing the Irpin River while fleeing the city in the outskirts of Kyiv on March 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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The U.K. said it would move to ban Russian oil by the end of 2022 and the European Union, which relies on 40% of its energy needs from Moscow, said it too would be making substantial cuts. 

Medvedev on Thursday said these tactics were an attempt to put Russia "on its knees" for its invasion of Ukraine and claimed it "will not work."

But the deputy secretary’s comments counter what Putin said in an address to Russians Wednesday.

"Our economy will need deep structural changes in these new realities, and I won’t hide this – they won’t be easy; they will lead to a temporary rise in inflation and unemployment," Putin said in a televised address, first reported the Wall Street Journal. 

White House officials have repeatedly said the sanctions are not an attempt to harm the Russian public, many of whom oppose Putin’s war in Ukraine, but are aimed at staunching Putin's military campaign, which has led to more than 3 million refugees and at least hundreds of deaths. 

Medvedev echoed false comments made by Putin, alleging the deadly war in Ukraine was justified by a "genocide" that was being committed against ethnic Russians in Ukraine. 

A person mourns next to a wrapped body near a residential building that was hit by the debris from a downed rocket in Kyiv on March 17, 2022. - One person was killed and three injured when the debris hit a Kyiv apartment block. (Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images)

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The U.S., NATO and the United Nations have repeatedly said these accusations are false and are a part of Putin’s "false flag" operations to justify an illegal invasion. 

Defense officials said Putin is attempting to overthrow the democratically elected government in Ukraine to install a "puppet regime" faithful to Russia.