A deliberate attack on a Russian aircraft in neutral airspace would be an open declaration of war against the largest nuclear power, and could lead to nuclear holocaust, Russian ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov warned on Wednesday.

“The calls of some lawmakers go far beyond common sense,” he said, commenting on US Senator Lindsey Graham’s threats to shoot down Russian aircraft approaching US aircraft in international airspace in the wake of the Black Sea incident.

“A deliberate attack on a Russian aircraft in neutral airspace is not just a crime under international law, but an open declaration of war against the largest nuclear power. An armed conflict between Russia and the United States would be radically different by proxy war. The Americans are fighting from a distance against us in Ukraine,” Antonov warned.

“Capitol is willing to put American citizens and the international community on the line at risk of full-scale nuclear war; Give us an answer, honorable senator! It is not the Russian pilots who should be blamed, but the American politicians who instigate the start of a conflict which will lead to Revelation. We are not seeking a conflict with a nuclear power. We continue to liaise, including through the Ministry of Defence, to prevent inadvertent incidents. I wish US politicians had the same attitude towards relations with Russia,” the Russian diplomat emphasized.

“The Russian Ministry of Defense explained in detail the reasons and the course of actions of the Russian pilots during the incident in the Black Sea. I repeat, for those who are not focused, look at the situation objectively: our fighters did not come into contact with the American UAV,” he said about the loss of an American MQ-9 drone.

“Russia did everything possible to prevent such incidents – it promptly informed the international community about the limits of the temporary airspace regime created for the ‘special military operation,'” he noted.

“Of course, it’s a shame for the Pentagon to lose an expensive piece of equipment. But in this case, the US military should to return to himself the accusations of unprofessional actions,” Antonov noted ironically.

“As for the aforementioned senator (s.s. Graham), this is by no means the infamous congressman’s first attempt to cause a dangerous escalation in US-Russia relations. A year ago he urged our citizens to make an assassination attempt against the president of Russia. Does Senator Graham really believe that a direct military conflict with Russia is in the best interest of the constituents who trusted him with their lives and livelihoods?” asked the Russian ambassador according to TASS.