Former Russian president and current deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday that a nuclear apocalypse is “realistically possible,” reviving the Kremlin’s nuclear rhetoric amid Moscow’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
“I am often reproached for using harsh rhetoric and talking about nuclear apocalypse, but unfortunately it is realistically possible,” Medvedev said during Russia’s federal educational marathon “Znanie,” according to Interfax.
Medvedev said such scenarios cannot be ruled out and argued that Russia must remain prepared for them.
“That is precisely why our country has a triad of strategic nuclear forces, and it is maintained in proper condition,” he said.
The remarks are the latest in a series of nuclear warnings issued by Medvedev since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He has repeatedly accused Western countries of escalating the risk of direct confrontation by supplying weapons to Kyiv.
Medvedev, who served as Russian president from 2008 to 2012, has become one of the Kremlin’s most outspoken hardliners during the war, frequently issuing threats against Ukraine and NATO members on social media and in public appearances.
His latest comments come as Moscow continues to signal confrontation with the West while simultaneously discussing possible ceasefire arrangements.
Former US ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer previously told Kyiv Post that Medvedev’s rhetoric should not be viewed as authoritative Kremlin policy, ridiculing the former Russian president’s repeated nuclear threats.
“Former President Medvedev says a lot of things that are, quite frankly, borderline crazy or just outright crazy,” Pifer said.
Pifer also said Moscow frequently uses nuclear threats as an intimidation tactic aimed at weakening Western and European support for Ukraine.