Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated today that Russia is not bluffing when it speaks about the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine and that its conflict with the West could escalate into a generalized war.
In a post on his official Telegram channel, Medvedev said that Moscow’s conflict with the West is unfolding according to the worst-case scenario and that “no one can rule out its escalation to the final stage.”
The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council made the above comment today following yesterday’s revelation that U.S. President Joe Biden quietly allowed Kiev to use weapons supplied by the United States against military targets within Russia.
Threats from Moscow of “asymmetric response”
Russia will give an “asymmetric” response to Ukrainian attacks on its territory with weapons provided to Kiev by the United States, RIA news agency reported today, citing Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee. Kartapolov stated that Joe Biden’s decision will not affect Russian military operations.
It is recalled that yesterday’s publication by Politico, citing three U.S. officials and two well-informed sources it did not name, reported that U.S. President Joe Biden quietly allowed Ukraine to use American weapon systems in attacks against Russian border areas, exclusively near the Kharkiv region.
“The president recently instructed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use American weapons for the purpose of counterattacking in Kharkiv, so that Ukraine can respond to Russian forces that are striking it or preparing to strike it,” one of the U.S. officials stated. However, he emphasized that the U.S. policy “has not changed,” under which Kiev is not allowed to use long-range missiles for strikes within Russia.
As Politico notes, Ukraine requested the U.S. to change their policy after the start of the Russian attack on Kharkiv this month, the official clarified.
Essentially, Ukraine can now use weapons provided by the U.S., such as rockets and rocket launchers, to shoot down Russian missiles aimed at Kiev, against troops gathering on the Russian side of the borders near Kharkiv, or against Russian bombers launching bombs against Ukrainian territory.
However, the official stressed that Ukraine cannot use these weapons to strike non-military infrastructure or to launch long-range missiles against military targets deep inside Russian territory.
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