Medvedev: We Can Defend Connected Regions With Nuclear Weapons

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has threatened to deploy “all weapons, including strategic nuclear weapons” to defend annexed territory. President Vladimir Putin’s ally made that clear through his Telegram account. Medvedev is deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council. In that role, he previously alluded to the possibility of using nuclear weapons if Russia deems it necessary.

Russia plans to annex large tracts of Ukrainian territory with ‘referenda’. In addition to Donetsk and Luhansk, where pro-Russian separatists have largely ruled for years, Russia wants to organize such referendums next week in the regions of Zaporizhia and Kherson. None of those regions is completely in the hands of Russian troops.

The Ukrainian government and Western leaders see the planned ballot as a bad idea. For example, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke at the UN on Tuesday about “sham referendums”, which are only intended to disguise Russia’s “imperialist aggression”.

‘No way back’

In Russian military doctrine, the use of nuclear weapons is permitted if Russia itself is seriously threatened. As far as Medvedev is concerned, this will soon also apply to the regions that he believes will soon become part of Russia. There is “no going back”, he says.

Medvedev was president from 2008 to 2012. Putin was prime minister at the time, then he took over from his ally as head of state.

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