Dmitry Medvedev is asking for a “most reward” for whoever kills NATO fighters in Ukraine.
In a social media outburst on Thursday, he painted a situation the place NATO may ship troops to assist Kyiv.
Medvedev mentioned such troops can be like “Hitler’s SS punishers” and wished their our bodies left on the sector.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev launched a scathing verbal assault in opposition to the North Atlantic Treaty Group on Thursday, calling for a bounty on any Western troops which will enter Ukraine.
“And there can solely be one rule for these abroad lice, who, not like the unlucky Ukrainians, weren’t pressured to go to battle: no prisoners taken!” wrote Medvedev, who’s now deputy chair of Russia’s Safety Council, in a submit on X.
“And for every NATO fighter killed, blown up, or burned, there should be a most reward,” he added.
Medvedev railed in opposition to a hypothetical situation that he posited himself on social media, during which NATO would initially deploy troops and particular forces in Western Ukraine for “housekeeping and organizing; coaching,” as he put it.
“Simply completely brazen brutes who maintain all of the world for fools!” Medvedev wrote.
The Russian official mentioned any NATO forces in Ukraine can be thought of a part of the “common forces” preventing in opposition to Moscow.
“Which is why they’ll solely be handled as enemies; and never simply enemies, however as elite detachments, Hitler’s SS punishers,” he continued.
Medvedev’s rhetoric hits numerous speaking factors usually utilized by the Kremlin. Moscow usually leans on the nostalgia of the Soviet Union’s combat in opposition to Nazi Germany in World Battle II, accusing Ukraine of being a Nazi-ruled state as a justification for its invasion.
Russia has additionally repeatedly stepped up speak of direct battle with NATO, with Russian chief Vladimir Putin saying that it could inevitably result in a 3rd world battle and nuclear disaster.
Key to that rhetoric has been Russia amplifying the concept that NATO might escalate tensions by sending troops to Ukraine. Putin, in any case, has portrayed his invasion as a transfer to curb NATO aggression.
As for Medvedev, the previous Russian president has been staunchly pro-war because the invasion started, broadcasting aggressive recommendations like firing a hypersonic missile on the Hague over an arrest warrant issued in opposition to Putin.
Up to now, NATO leaders say they haven’t formally deployed troops in Ukraine to combat. Nevertheless, some — equivalent to French President Emmanuel Macron — have hinted at such a chance and even advocated for it.
“We have no plans of getting any NATO fight troops inside Ukraine,” NATO Secretary-Normal Jens Stoltenberg advised reporters on Wednesday. “There have been no requests for that.”
There are some hints of NATO fielding a small presence in Ukraine. In early 2023, leaked categorised paperwork from the Pentagon mentioned that just about 100 NATO operators had been at one level despatched to Ukraine, together with 14 US particular forces members.
However the identical leaks have additionally been approached with warning by the worldwide intelligence neighborhood, over issues that the knowledge contained in the paperwork could also be disingenuous or have been tampered with. US officers mentioned that no American troops have been concerned in fight in Ukraine.
NATO can be instructing Ukrainians to make use of the arsenal of Western-made weapons despatched to Kyiv, and it is unclear if these particular operations forces may need been deployed in Ukraine for coaching or in advisory roles.
On March 8, Polish International Minister Radek Sikorski mentioned that NATO troops had been “already current in Ukraine” however didn’t say what number of had been deployed or for what goal.
“These nations know who they’re, however I am unable to disclose them. Opposite to different politicians, I can’t record these nations,” Sikorski mentioned.
Russia jumped on Sikorski’s assertion, with spokesperson Maria Zakharova saying there was “no level in denying it any longer” that NATO fields troops in Ukraine.
But what actually set off Medvedev had been Macron’s latest feedback on NATO presumably becoming a member of the combat. Within the final two months, the French chief has repeated that his allies should not rule out deploying troops in Ukraine.
“What we’re doing is giving ourselves purple traces,” he mentioned.
In response, Medvedev has written a number of social media posts — some in French — insulting Macron or criticizing him vehemently.
“However what a great factor, then again! With so many coffins arriving in France from a overseas nation, it could be unattainable to cowl up the mass deaths {of professional} troopers,” Medvedev wrote on March 20.
Medvedev’s present tirade-prone posture appears a major departure from when he was president of Russia from 2008 to 2012 when some observers had hoped he can be pro-West and extra liberal.
Specialists beforehand advised Enterprise Insider’s Sinead Baker that the previous chief could also be making an attempt to overcompensate together with his rhetoric to curry favor with Putin.
“Medvedev is like one of many weaker guys in Tony Soprano’s circles, who simply has to go and do horrible issues to appease the boss,” Edward Lucas, senior advisor on the Middle for European Coverage Evaluation, mentioned.
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