A close ally of Vladimir Putin has lashed out at the West, warning his country was ready to take “revenge” in another deranged rant. Dmitry Medvedev, the former President of Russia, vowed this week that there would be no stopping until Ukraine’s government was “destroyed.”
And he followed up his threat with another, also shared via the Telegram messaging app, in response to Western sanctions which kicked in today on what is the second anniversary of Putin’s invasion. Medvedev, who has been deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020, said: “We have become accustomed to their endless limitations and have learned to live with them.
“But what I want to draw your attention to today is that these bans are no longer directed against the authorities or businesses in the country, as our opponent likes to talk about.”
The measures, he claimed, were “taken against the entire population of Russia”. Medvedev explained: “For example, the ban on the Mir payment system and restrictions on the activities of companies involved in housing construction in the country.
“The reason is clear – the worse it is for Russian citizens, the better it is for the Western world. Let them all suffer there.” Medvedev, Russia’s President from 2008 to 2012, added: “We all just need to remember this and take revenge on them wherever possible. They are our enemies.”
“To create possible difficulties for them in the economy, to arouse public dissatisfaction with the incompetent policies of Western authorities, to develop and promote international solutions that infringe on the interests of the Western world.
“Do this constantly, systematically and as openly as possible.” Cryptically, he added: “And also to carry out other activities on their territory that are not usually discussed publicly. In war it’s like in war. And in this war, victory will be ours.”
On Thursday, UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron announced more than 50 new sanctions targeting individuals and businesses sustaining Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine.
He said: “Our sanctions are starving Putin of the resources he desperately needs to fund his struggling war.
“Together, we will not let up in the face of tyranny. We will continue to support Ukraine as it fights for democracy – for as long as it takes.”
The US government imposed roughly 600 new sanctions on Russia and its war machine in the largest single round of penalties since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
And The European Union has added sanctions on several foreign companies over allegations that they have exported dual-use goods to Russia that could be used in its war against Ukraine.
