Alwaght- Russian President Vladimir Putin has described sanctions imposed by Western nations over Ukraine offensive as "akin to a declaration of war".
"But thank God it has not come to that," he added.
Putin also warned that any attempt to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be seen as participation in the armed conflict. Moreover, he rejected suggestions that he would introduce a state of emergency or martial law in Russia.
Putin made the remarks while speaking to a group of women flight attendants at an Aeroflot training centre near Moscow.
Since the start of Russia's offensive 11 days ago, the West has imposed a raft of sanctions on Russia, including exclusion of a number of Russian banks from the Swift international payments system. In addition, many multinational firms have ceased operations in Russia, On Saturday, Zara, Paypal and Samsung became the latest global brands to suspend trading there.
The economic measures have already caused the ruble to plunge in value and forced the Russian central bank to double interest rates.
