The West is pushing the world closer to a global conflict unseen since World War II by supplying ever heavier weapons to Ukraine and celebrating Nazism, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned in a Telegram post on Tuesday.
Medvedev, who is currently the deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, was reacting to the reported arrival of US-made M1 Abrams battle tanks in Ukraine and a scandal that saw the Canadian parliament, alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, give a standing ovation to a former member of the Waffen SS.
The former Russian president decried the scandal, which had already sparked outrage in Poland, Russia, and in the Jewish community, calling it “fraternization… with Nazis.”
“It looks like Russia is being left with little choice other than a direct conflict with NATO,” he said, while highlighting reports that Washington has promised longer-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Kiev.
Medvedev claimed that NATO has “turned into an openly fascist bloc similar to Hitler’s Axis, only bigger,” adding that Russia is prepared to face it if necessary.
“The result would be much heavier losses for humanity than in 1945,” he warned.
The former president took a hardline position on Russia’s relations with the West amid the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. In September, he suggested suspending diplomatic relations with the EU after the bloc backed banning Russian nationals from bringing personal cars and smartphones onto its territory, citing potential sanctions violation.
He has previously blasted Kiev’s Western backers as a “pro-Nazi” coalition and repeatedly warned about potential direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. Moscow has also warned that continued Western arms supplies to Ukraine leads to deeper involvement of NATO member states in the conflict, risking a full-blown war between Russia and the US-led bloc.