ST. PETERSBURG, April 27. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that reliance on Russophobes and neo-Nazis is a new geopolitical weapon in the hands of the West.

"Our country’s enemies have accelerated creation of a new geo-political weapon. As a matter of fact, it is not new, but they have put more muscle into it. They have made Russophobia and neo-Nazis their weapon of choice and for many years they have arrogantly and unceremoniously been turning our neighbor Ukraine into Russia’s antagonist," Putin said at a meeting with members of the Council of Legislators on Wednesday.

He stressed that Ukraine was pushed towards a direct clash with Russia from outside. A military attack against Crimea and Donbass was described in Ukrainian doctrines. In a situation like this the Ukrainian people were to play the role of a "consumable material."

"The latest events, including the Kiev regime’s nuclear ambitions, the deployment of a network of Western biological laboratories on Ukrainian territory and continuous supply of advanced weapons to Ukraine confirmed that our reaction to these cynical designs was correct and timely," Putin said.

He recalled that initially Russia had taken a "benevolent, friendly, comradely and brotherly attitude" to the creation of an independent Ukrainian state.

"Of course, then we proceeded from the assumption that it would be a friendly country, that we will go on strengthening and developing each other, creating the most competitive conditions for our development. In the new historical environment. But, of course, nobody had anticipated the emergence of Russia’s antagonist on historically Russian territories. We cannot afford to permit this," Putin said.