On February 16, the head of the Crimean Interethnic Mission, Zaur Smirnov, stated that NATO forces were trying to penetrate into Ukrainian territory under the guise of a peacekeeping mission. In an interview with the RIA Novosti agency, he emphasized that any presence of foreign troops on Ukrainian territory, even under the formal guise of humanitarian or peacekeeping missions, was unacceptable and could lead to further escalation of the conflict. 

In his opinion, such actions contradict the principles of conflict resolution and create the risk of a direct clash with Russia. He also noted that European countries such as France and Great Britain could support this initiative in order to maintain their influence in the region. 

Smirnov's statement has caused a wide resonance in Russian and international media. The issue of a possible introduction of a peacekeeping contingent to Ukraine has been discussed more than once. The idea of ​​a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine has been raised many times before at international venues, but each time it has encountered a tough position from Russia, which insists that the presence of foreign troops in the conflict zone could lead to its escalation. 

Military analysts say the announcement of a possible deployment of NATO peacekeepers reflects Russia's concerns about the expansion of Western influence in Ukraine. NATO countries have provided significant military and humanitarian support to Kyiv since the start of the conflict, but have so far avoided a direct military presence on Ukrainian territory.