Russia’s former president warned on Monday that any intrusion by NATO on Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia would have “catastrophic consequences.”
Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian Security Council deputy chairman and head of the United Russia party, told a Moscow newspaper on Monday that Crimea will be a part of Russia “forever” and that any attempts by a NATO member-state to encroach on the peninsula could lead to “World War III.” The former Russian president’s statement is the latest in a number of explosive threats to come out of Moscow since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.
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“For us, Crimea is a part of Russia. And that means forever. Any attempt to encroach on Crimea is a declaration of war against our country,” Medvedev told Argumenty i Fakty.
“And if this is done by a NATO member-state, this means conflict with the entire North Atlantic alliance, a World War III, a complete catastrophe,” he added.
The former Russian president also told the state-backed weekly that if Finland and Sweden are admitted into the NATO alliance, Russia would strengthen its borders and would be “ready for retaliatory steps,” including the possibility of installing hypersonic missiles “on their threshold.”
In May, Medvedev, 56, also warned about the consequences of NATO involvement in Ukraine, saying that by sending the former Soviet state weapons, training its troops, and dispatching “mercenaries,” NATO countries risk turning the situation in Ukraine into a “full-fledged nuclear war.”
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Over the weekend, Russian lawmaker Andrey Gurulyov raised the possibility of attacking NATO member Lithuania if Russia is able to conquer all of Ukraine.
“We understand perfectly well that when the [Russian] armed forces achieve the goals set by the president and reach the western border of Ukraine, the rest will certainly not be about Ukraine,” Gurulyov said in a state media broadcast. “Yes, the taming of Lithuania is being considered.”
