ST. PETERSBURG, May 12. /TASS/. Russia’s enemies lead the world to World War III and a global catastrophe, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev believes.

"Today, we carry out a special military operation to protect our sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of millions of people," Medvedev said, speaking at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum Friday.

"It is obvious that a full-scale hybrid war is being waged against our country. American and European benefactors pump our enemies with lethal weapons of all kinds, they encourage terror in Russia’s border regions, they carry out sabotage and political assassinations," the official said.

In his opinion, Russia’s enemies "effectively lead the world to World War III, to a global catastrophe, in which there can be no winners by definition, as we all know."

According to Medvedev, "it would be appropriate to remember today, how many Soviet missiles were enough for the US to start a global psychosis during the Caribbean Crisis - on the one hand, and, on another hand - how many weapons were pulled to NATO-controlled territories near Russia’s borders in such a short time span."

"The question is who is really taking the world closer to an apocalypse," the official concluded.