Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva has called on Western countries "to be alerted but not afraid" of crossing the "red lines" defined by Moscow.

"I think they [the partners] are afraid of the 'red lines'. At least I would like to believe it because we all remember what red lines [Russian President Vladimir] Putin drew. Look what happened after Finland's accession to NATO? And how much noise did it make? What terrible thing will happen when, we hope, Sweden joins [NATO] very soon? That is why it is time to not be afraid, just as Ukraine does, just as President [of Ukraine Volodymyr] Zelenskyy does," he said in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency.

The official said that "the last week's events in Russia, the so-called 'Prigozhin's putsch', are dramatically changing the situation over whether we should or should not be afraid of Putin."

"This case showed the ephemerality of the hyped 'strong' system of power. I always say that just as the myth about the second strongest army in the world has disappeared after they had unleashed open aggression against Ukraine, the myth about some kind of a super strong system where everything works clearly will gradually vanish. We have seen the Armed Forces of Russia, and now the entire security block – FSB, the Interior Ministry, the Russian Guard and so on – has joined them," he said.

"We want to show our partners that now is exactly the time when the window of opportunities is open, when we not only should not be afraid but also should act decisively and radically," Zhovkva said.

Speaking about the Western countries' fear of World War III, he said: "Certainly, there is fear but these are horror stories Russia will use. They constantly threat with nuclear weapons, or chemical, or biological, or all of them at a time."

"Should we realize that this may happen? Yes, we should. After Kakhovka [dam explosion], we saw that, unfortunately, everything is possible in Russia exactly due to this lack of organization. Sometimes, one hand does not know what the second one is doing. That is why we be alerted but not afraid," the official said.