As is so often the case, Russia’s ex-president Medvedev spoke up on Telegram and responded to a statement by the Italian defense minister.
Munich – Several Western countries want to supply Kyiv with tanks during the Ukraine war. Germany also wants to contribute 14 Leopard 2 tanks to the defense against Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin’s attack.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto warned at a joint press conference with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu on Friday (January 27) that World War III could break out “if Russian tanks appear in Kyiv and on the European border.” Ukraine wants to ward off exactly this danger.
Ukraine war: Medvedev threatens according to Italian minister
The deputy head of the Russian Security Council, ex-president and Putin confidant Dmitry Medvedev has now reacted to Crosetto’s statements in the short message service Telegram. “First of all, defending Ukraine, which nobody in Europe needs, will not protect the decrepit old world from retaliation if something happens,” Medvedev threatened in connection with the current events surrounding the Ukraine war. By the “old world” he probably means the “Western world order” repeatedly attacked by Moscow.
“Secondly, if World War III starts, then it will not be fought by tanks and not even by fighters, but then everything will surely be in ruins,” added the former Russian head of state, while in Russia due to the Ukraine war the business with cemeteries and Crematoria are booming. Apparently Medvedev wants to point out the possible use of nuclear weapons instead of the use of conventional weapons. The Putin friend repeatedly threatens to use nuclear weapons.
third world war? Russian expert appeased – “limited nature of escalation”
However, according to analyst Dmitry Stefanovich of the Moscow-based Russian Institute for World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), the risk of a possible third world war resulting from the Ukraine war is still low. There is still a desire to prevent a major escalation, he told the independent broadcaster RTVI. Washington and Brussels would have a handle on Ukraine’s military potential with some kind of “valve”.
According to Stefanovich, the risk of escalation would be significantly higher without the influence of Western allies on Kyiv. In the current situation, however, the situation is under control. At the same time, the Russian side is keeping the escalation under control. For example, certain areas of Ukraine would not suffer from attacks. “So the limited nature of the escalation remains,” the analyst said.
Ukraine war: Expert sees low risk of a nuclear strike by Russia
In the background of the Ukraine war, Ukraine repeatedly states that it also wants to recapture the Crimean peninsula. When asked, Stefanowitsch emphasized that a Ukrainian offensive against Crimea would very likely not result in a nuclear attack. “It will not be that Ukraine attacks Crimea and we immediately use nuclear weapons. Something more serious has to happen,” he told the broadcaster.
The argument in favor of a nuclear strike could certainly become stronger if it were decided that an attack on Crimea was an existential threat. However, according to Stefanowitsch, this formulation in Russian doctrine is more about “vulnerable territories” such as Kaliningrad in the west and the Kuril Islands in the east.
“Therefore, I think there is a fairly clear understanding that not even a clash in Crimea is a direct reason for the use of nuclear weapons,” the analyst said. A parallel destruction of a large part of the Russian army could increase the danger, Stefanovich warned. He pointed to a direct relationship between the strength of conventional forces and the nuclear threshold: the stronger the regular military, the higher the threshold. (bb)
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