Ex-president rages

Medvedev on nuclear weapons: “We are not bluffing”

One of Medvedev's current main tasks? To warn the West about Russian nuclear bombs.

(Bild: AFP/SPUTNIK/Mikhail Metzel)

In view of the increasing release of Western weapons for use on Russian territory, the Kremlin is once again increasingly threatening to use the red button. Putin's whip, former President Dmitry Medvedev, once again emphasized that this is no joke - a possible use is "not a bluff", he declared on Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously threatened serious consequences if Western weapons were also used against targets in Russia. "This constant escalation can lead to serious consequences," Putin said on Tuesday during a visit to Uzbekistan. "In Europe, especially in the small states, they should realize what they are playing with." 

Conflict could become a "total" war
Medvedev once again joined in: Russia is not bluffing, warned the former Russian president with regard to tactical nuclear weapons, which, unlike strategic nuclear weapons, are intended for use on the battlefield and are not designed to completely destroy the enemy.

The conflict could escalate into an all-out war, warned the confidant of President Vladimir Putin. A leading Russian parliamentarian also threatened the West with an asymmetric war.

Germany also releases
Medvedev's statements follow a change of course by Western states regarding the conditions imposed on Ukraine for the use of Western weapons. In most cases, the previous rule was that they could not be used against targets in Russia. According to information from American government circles, President Joe Biden has now authorized the use of US weapons to attack targets in Russia that are playing a role in the Russian offensive against the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

This could include aircraft firing missiles at Kharkiv over Russian territory. The German government is also giving Ukraine a free hand in the defense of Kharkiv.