Putin says Western sanctions on Russia are like a declaration of war

President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that the sanctions applied by Western countries against Russia are akin to a declaration of war and warned that any attempt to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine would amount to entering the conflict.

Putin reiterated that his goals in Ukraine are to defend Russian-speaking communities through the “demilitarization and denazification” of the country so that it becomes neutral.

Ukraine and Western countries have denied this and treated this as an unfounded pretext for the invasion he launched on February 24 and imposed a wide range of sanctions aimed at isolating Moscow.

“These sanctions being imposed are similar to a declaration of war, but thank God it didn’t come to that,” Putin said, speaking to a group of flight attendants at an Aeroflot training center near Moscow.

He said any attempt by another power to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine would be considered by Russia as a step into the military conflict.

NATO rejected Kiev’s request for a no-fly zone, claiming it would escalate the war beyond Ukraine.

Putin said there were no recruits involved in the military operation, which he said was being carried out only by professional soldiers.

“There is not a recruit and we do not plan to have one,” Putin said. “Our army will fulfill all the tasks. I have no doubts about that. Everything is going as planned.”

Putin dismissed concerns that some sort of martial law or emergency situation could be declared in Russia. He said such a measure was only imposed when there was a significant internal or external threat.

“We do not plan to introduce any kind of special regime on Russian territory – there is currently no need,” Putin said.

His government quelled protests in Russia against the war.