Vladimir Putin’s right-hand man Dmitri Medvedev has warned the West of “global nuclear fire” if Ukraine’s counteroffensive proves successful.
The comments come as Ukraine is reportedly close to making a breakthrough after launching massive assaults against Russian positions in the south of the country.
“Our Armed Forces, repelling the counteroffensive of the collective enemy, protect the citizens of Russia and our land. This is obvious to all decent people. But beyond that, they prevent world conflict,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram.
He warned that if Ukraine seized “Russian land” – possibly a reference to the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula – there would be a nuclear war with the West.
Medvedev added: “Imagine that the offensive of the Ukrobanderites [sic] with the support of NATO was successful and they seized part of [Russian] land, then we would have to, by the rules of the decree of the President of Russia, go for the use of nuclear weapons.
“There is simply no other way out. Therefore, our enemies must pray for our warriors. They do not allow the global nuclear fire to flare up.”
The comments come after Ukraine’s top defense official said Kyiv’s forces would move to liberate Crimea “soon”.
The peninsula was annexed by Russia after an unrecognized referendum in 2014. Vladimir Putin sees the region as an integral part of Russian lands.
Crimea also holds strategic significance being Russia’s only blue-water port that does not freeze over during the winter.
The comments come as drones attacked Moscow early Sunday causing some damage and reportedly injuring one. Russia has blamed Ukraine, although Kyiv hasn’t claimed responsibility for the attack.
Russia’s defense ministry said that one Ukrainian drone was shot down over the Odintsovo district while two more crashed in Moscow.
Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin posted on Telegram that the “facades of two city office towers were slightly damaged”.
He claimed no one was killed or injured in the attack but this was later contradicted by the TASS state news agency which claimed a security guard was hurt during the strike.
The attack is the latest in a series of drone strikes against Moscow which appear to be in retaliation for Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian cities including Kyiv and Odesa.
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