MOSCOW, January 4. /TASS/. Ukraine is holding the West on its side by staging provocations because, due to the absence of any chances of victory, the Kiev regime is depriving it of any freedom of movement, Russian Federation Council Vice Speaker Konstantin Kosachev said.

Commenting on Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba’s remarks that Ukraine has no "plan B" if Western military aid dwindles, he wrote on his Telegram channel: "In this whole story, only the West is not aware of the obvious: Ukraine, in the absence of any chances to win, has deprived it of any leeway. The tail is wagging the dog. The goal justifies any means. The rules of waging war have been cancelled. And overall, white lies are becoming the main weapon of fighting for Ukraine."

According to the senator, to keep the West on its side, the Kiev regime is using "staged provocations, strikes on critical infrastructure in the conflict zone and on civilian targets in Russia."

Kosachev noted that in the current situation "the purportedly all-powerful West with its invincible values is looking more and more pitiful," while "the West’s proverbial slogan about the standoff between democracies and autocracies in the case of the Ukrainian scenario has morphed into a cynical caricature.".