The Kremlin has doubled down on a threat made by Vladimir Putin’s close ally Dmitry Medvedev, who said the defeat of Russia on the battlefield in Ukraine could trigger a nuclear war with the West.
Following up on his warning on Thursday, Moscow confirmed his incendiary remarks were in full accordance with Russia’s nuclear doctrine.
The former Russian president appeared to be warning NATO leaders to halt supplies of major new arms to Kyiv, as Western allies meet at the Ramstein Air Base Germany on Friday with the focus on whether Berlin will allow its Leopard 2 battle tanks to be supplied to Kyiv to help drive out Russian forces.
‘Tomorrow at the Ramstein base in [Germany], the great military leaders will discuss new tactics and strategy, as well as deliveries of new heavy weapons and strike systems to Ukraine,’ Medvedev said.
Vladimir Putin’s ally Dmitry Medvedev has threatened the West with nuclear war in Ukraine beats Russia on the battlefield. Pictured: A Sartmat ICBM test is seen in Russian footage (file)
The former Russian president, now deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council (pictured centre on January 10 inspecting a military repair plant in Saint Petersburg) appeared to be warning NATO leaders to halt supplies of major new arms to Kyiv
‘And this is right after the Davos Forum, where underdeveloped [Western] political party goers repeat like a mantra: “To achieve peace, Russia must lose”.’
If Russia loses, it would trigger nuclear war, said Medvedev, who as Russian president from 2008 to 2012 once had his finger on the Kremlin’s nuclear trigger.
He strongly implied the fate of his boss Putin, and that of Russia’s, depends on the Russian despot not being defeated in the bloody war he launched 11 months ago.
‘It doesn’t occur to any of the wretches to draw the following elementary conclusion: That the loss of a nuclear power in a conventional war could provoke a nuclear war.
‘Nuclear powers have not lost major conflicts on which their fate depends. And this should be obvious to anyone.
‘Even a Western politician with any trace of intelligence.’
Medvedev stepped into Putin’s shoes as President in 2008 for a four-year term, while Putin became the Russian Prime Minister for that time. The move was seen as largely symbolic, with Putin maintaining ultimate power.
When he first became president in 2008, he promised to modernise and liberalise Russia, and often spoke of his love of tech gadgets and of blogging. He even visited California and was given a brand new iPhone 4 from Apple founder Steve Jobs.
But he has since rebooted his political persona, and now frequently embarks on tirades on the Telegram messaging app to he followers about Russia’s place in the world, and his hatred of the West.
Observers have said his new persona is a desperate attempt to retain relevance in Moscow’s political circles, which have become significantly darker since he left the presidency and Putin reclaimed the top job in the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, there have been rumours of Medvedev’s increasing alcohol consumption, with Putin telling him to resign as Prime Minister, instead handing him the token job as deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council – which, as with many other political organisation in Moscow, Putin has ultimate control over.
Now, some analysts see Medvedev as positioning himself for a new run at the Kremlin presidency if Putin is forced out by ill health or through dissatisfaction.
Medvedev recently threatened to jail Russian arms manufacturer bosses who failed to deliver missiles and tanks on time for the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine has pleaded for modern Western weapons, especially heavy battle tanks, so it can regain momentum following some battlefield successes in the second half of 2022 against Russian forces that invaded last February. Pictured: A Ukrainian tank crew are seen operating a Soviet-era T-72 in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, on January 18
Ukrainian tankers carry out maintenance on their tanks on the Donbass frontline as military mobility continues within the Russian-Ukrainian war on January 18, 2023
His anger highlighted desperation in the Kremlin to get more weapons to the frontline as the West increases its battlefield aid to Ukraine, especially with the arrival of heavy tanks from NATO nations.
As he inspected the 61st Armoured Vehicle Repair Plant in St Petersburg, he warned: ‘The tasks here are obvious, and they need to be promptly addressed, in no way allowing for the disruption of approved deadlines.’
He blasted failures to supply military equipment on time. ‘In the case of repeat violations, let me remind you that special criminal punishment has been introduced [under] the Russian criminal code,’ he said, alluding to ten year jail sentences.
On Thursday, Ukraine urged its Western allies – without Medvedev-like threats – to hurry up and supply tanks and air defences to Kyiv, saying it was paying with Ukrainian lives at the front for the slow pace of discussions in foreign capitals.
Ukraine has pleaded for modern Western weapons, especially heavy battle tanks, so it can regain momentum following some battlefield successes in the second half of 2022 against Russian forces that invaded last February.
‘We have no time, the world does not have this time,’ said Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, on the Telegram messaging app.
Western allies are meeting at the Ramstein Air Base Germany on Friday.
‘The question of tanks for Ukraine must be closed as soon as possible. Just like the questions of additional air defence systems,’ Yermak said in a statement. We are paying for the slowness with the lives of our Ukrainian people.
‘It shouldn’t be like that,’ he said.
Pictured: A relative looks at the site of a helicopter crash, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the town of Brovary, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, January 19, 2023
His comments echoed an appeal made by President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video speech to the World Economic Forum on Wednesday. Zelenskiy said tanks and air defence units should be delivered faster than Russia could stage its next attacks.
This week, Britain raised the pressure on Germany by becoming the first Western country to send Western tanks, promising Challenger 2 heavy tanks.
Almost 11 months since Russia invaded its neighbour, Moscow’s forces hold swathes of Ukraine’s east and south. The battlefield momentum has been with Kyiv for months, but Moscow has expended huge resources to try to advance in the east.
Leopard tanks are held by an array of NATO nations, but transferring them to Ukraine requires Germany’s approval.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Kyiv has appealed to the nations that have Leopard 2 tanks – Greece, Denmark, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Turkey, Finland and Sweden – to supply them.
But Berlin has veto power over any decision to export its tanks, fielded by NATO-allied armies across Europe and seen by experts as the most suitable for Ukraine.
Several times in recent days, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stressed, behind closed doors, the condition that U.S. tanks should also be sent to Ukraine, the German government source said on condition of anonymity.
When asked about Germany’s stance, U.S. President Joe Biden’s spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said: ‘The president believes that each country should make their own sovereign decisions on what steps of security assistance and what kinds of equipment they are able to provide Ukraine.’
NATO allies have sought to avoid the risk of appearing to confront Russia directly and have refrained from sending their most potent weapons to Ukraine.