As the conflict in Ukraine continues, Russian officials have expressed growing concern over the possibility of nuclear weapons being used. Deputy Chair of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, stated that although Russia has had ample reason to use nuclear weapons throughout the crisis, it has so far exercised restraint. However, he warned that Moscow’s patience is not limitless and suggested that if Western nations allow Kiev to strike targets deep inside Russian territory using missiles supplied by them, Russia could respond harshly.
The demand for lifting limitations on these missile strikes has been made by Kiev since at least May. Some media outlets have speculated that Washington and London might soon do so or may have already secretly done so. In a post on his Telegram channel, Medvedev stated that Western leaders have convinced themselves into a false sense of security, believing that Moscow’s warnings about dire consequences for allowing long-range missile strikes are mere bluffing. The official, who was also the Russian president from 2008 to 2012, emphasized that Russia is fully aware of the gravity of a nuclear strike decision and acknowledged that it has not made such a decision so far due to its understanding of the formal prerequisites for this action stipulated by their nuclear containment doctrine.
Medvedev further explained that Russia is showing patience but also highlighted the fact that there is always a limit to patience. He went on to suggest that in response to potential Western escalation, Russia could unveil new devastating weaponry – not necessarily nuclear – as an alternative way of retaliating against such acts.
In a separate statement made on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin argued that the Ukrainian military is incapable of operating these Western long-range systems independently and relies heavily on intelligence from NATO satellites and Western military personnel. Therefore, if the West allows Kiev to strike targets deep inside Russia, “this will mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries are fighting against Russia,” Putin said.