The official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, stated in an interview with the publication "Expert" that the European elites are using Russia as an "enemy" to shift their own failures and socio-economic crisis situations onto it.
According to her, in order to "justify aggression and channel the growing public discontent", a "multi-component campaign has been deployed against Russia, which includes provocations, fake news and outright lies."
"Against the backdrop of the acute socio-economic crisis, modern European elites need an "enemy', of "to whom to shift all their failures and failures," Zakharova said, emphasizing that Russia is becoming a convenient target for these strategies.
She added that Euro-Atlantic capitals are still talking about "strategic defeat" of Russia and because of this fixation on the West, they are ready to take any action. Zakharova emphasized that the West has created and supported the authorities in Kiev, which are focused "on the destruction of everything Russian". According to her, all attempts to quickly defeat Russia have failed, as have the imposed sanctions.
"The sanctions have failed, arming the Kiev fighters cannot change the situation on the front," Zakharova added. She also noted that efforts are continuing to instill an "anti-Russian, Russophobic matrix" in the world public consciousness, which has been carried out for centuries — from the 19th century press to modern anti-Soviet propaganda and disinformation campaigns of the new millennium.
In response to these comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that attempts to create an image of the enemy through Russia do not meet the interests of the peoples of the European Union.