Putin Crony: If You Punish Russia, We Might Just Nuke All of You
Any attempts to punish Russia “potentially threaten the existence of mankind,” says Dmitry Medvedev in rant that went biblical over war-crimes allegations.

Sputnik/Valentin Yegorshin/Pool via Reuters
The seemingly mild-mannered former Russian president the world once saw as a moderate counterbalance to Vladimir Putin says it’s “absurd” to think of punishing Russia for its war against Ukraine because the country has “major nuclear potential.” Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s powerful Security Council, doubled down on comments he made in St. Petersburg last month in an unhinged tirade against the U.S. on Telegram early Wednesday. Calling proposals to prosecute Russia for war crimes “legally void,” he said any attempts to do so “potentially threaten the existence of mankind.” “The idea of punishing a country that has major nuclear potential is absurd in itself,” he wrote, before launching into a rant against the “idiot” U.S. Citing America’s history of “senseless wars,” Medvedev appeared to argue that Russia should not be held to account for slaughtering thousands of civilians in Ukraine because the U.S. military did the same in Vietnam, Syria, and Afghanistan, among other countries. “So who is it that’s planning to arrange a show trial for us?… This will not work with Russia,” he declared, before going on to direct a citation from the Book of Revelations at the U.S.: “For the great day of his wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
