A Russian parliamentary deputy said on Friday that the Western-backed Ukrainian incursion has brought the world close to an all-out global war, Russia’s RIA news agency reported.

Ukrainian troops crossed the border into Russia’s Kursk region on Aug. 6 and have since advanced significantly, forcing Moscow to evacuate over 200,000 people from their homes.

“Considering the presence of Western military equipment, the use of Western ammunition and missiles in attacks on civilian infrastructure and irrefutable proof of foreigners’ participation in the attack on Russian territory, one could come to the conclusion that the world is on the brink of a third world war,” RIA quoted deputy Mikhail Sheremet as saying.

Sheremet, who is a member of the Russian parliament’s defence committee, echoed Putin by saying that NATO countries had given a green light to the incursion plans, a charge Washington has denied.

Putin’s aide, Nikolai Patrushev, on Friday also accused the West of being behind the attack, in an interview with Izvestia newspaper.

Patrushev said NATO and Western intelligence agencies were involved in planning the Kursk operation, although he provided no evidence.

Three people killed in Russian strikes in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv says

Ukraine and its allies say Russia is receiving assistance in its war effort from China, Iran and North Korea.

Earlier on Friday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed a pledge to deepen cooperation with Russia and expressed confidence that Moscow would be victorious in its “holy war for peace and justice”.