MOSCOW, August 14. /TASS/. Acting in the interests of the West, the Kiev regime is becoming a tool for fueling an armed conflict with Russia and is expanding its scope, which poses a threat to global security, including international shipping, Russian Federation Council member from the Donetsk People’s Republic Alexander Voloshin told TASS.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reported that over the summer, the Kiev regime--using unmanned systems and intelligence data received from NATO and EU countries-- has been stepping up attacks on coastal transport and logistics infrastructure and civilian vessels in the Azov-Black Sea waters, with critical agricultural cargoes coming under fire. According to her, all of this "exacerbates the shortage of grain and fertilizers and fuels the rise in global food prices."

"Kiev has long demonstrated its political incompetence, consistently tailoring its own decisions to the interests of those on whom it directly depends for funding, weapons, and intelligence support. Moreover, such a policy generally comes at the expense of its own citizens, whose interests are sacrificed to foreign policy expediency. The current escalation in the Black Sea is a logical continuation of this line of action. In essence, the Kiev regime is becoming a tool for exerting pressure, amplifying the conflict, and expanding its geographical scope," Voloshin said.

He noted that international shipping, trade routes, food supplies, and the stability of global logistics chains are all under threat. The parliamentarian is convinced that the further expansion of the conflict directly poses risks to global security.

The expert added that attacks on other countries’ vessels and civilians cannot be viewed as isolated actions by Kiev: modern operations of this scale require constant external support. "If Western countries provide these support tools, they cannot indefinitely pretend they are not responsible for the consequences of their use. Those who supply Kiev with money, weapons, and intelligence data have no right to absolve themselves of responsibility for the consequences," the expert concluded.