"The thing is, Ukraine is currently facing defeat on the battlefield in its counteroffensive, that's clear. And it has largely focused on terrorist - I won't hesitate to use that word - attacks against civilian targets on Russian territory," Kelin said in an interview with Egyptian broadcaster.
"When you deliberately target civilian infrastructure, it is nothing but terrorism."
The Russian armed forces, unlike the Ukrainian military, are targeting only military infrastructure, Kelin said. Collateral damage is caused, among other things, by the fact that Ukrainian forces place their air defense systems in cities, which is prohibited by the Hague Conventions, the ambassador added.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive brings no results, but terrible losses, which amount to 700-800 deaths a day, the ambassador said. The official further indicated the total losses amount to 46,000 soldiers and 30% of Western vehicles.
"We believe that the counteroffensive is essentially over at this point," he said.
On August 4, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian troops had lost more than 43,000 people and over 4,900 weapons since the start of its counteroffensive. Destroyed Ukrainian equipment included 26 aircraft, nine helicopters, and 1,831 armored vehicles, including 25 German Leopard tanks, seven French AMX wheeled tanks, and 21 American Bradley IFVs.
West Risking WWIII With Continued Ukraine Arms
The Russian ambassador went on to warn that the West risked sleepwalking into a third world war by continuing to funnel weapons to Ukraine.
"Russia has to fight not only Ukraine but also, to a certain extent, the collective West, primarily opposing these arms deliveries. However, there's a thin line that the West could cross, and that's very dangerous," he told Egyptian media.
The diplomat said the West should avoid any escalation and, at some point, "halt its [arms] supplies to Ukraine and adopt a realistic position."
The worst-case scenario, he explained, would be for Ukraine to go bankrupt. An alternative would be to launch peace negotiations. He said Kiev was already under pressure to engage in the talks.
"If the arming of Ukraine continues and if the attacks and hostilities from Ukraine persist, it will lead to Ukraine becoming a failed state ... Alternatively, there could be genuinely realistic peace negotiations," the diplomat said.
Kelin welcomed efforts by African nations and China to mediate an end to the conflict in Ukraine, which he said were all positive, although "so far, there's no initiative that provides a realistic way out of this crisis."
He said a realistic proposal should account for the facts on the ground and include guarantees that Ukraine would never become a threat to Russia and that Kiev would respect the rights of the Russian-speaking minority.