Putin ally threatens US to burn in 'earth fire'

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned on Sunday that the United States would burn in “land fire” following a missile attack on Sevastopol by Ukrainian troops.

On Sunday, as the war between Russia and Ukraine continued, the Kremlin blamed the United States for Ukraine's attack on Russia's annexed Crimean Peninsula, saying U.S.-supplied missiles had been used. The strike left at least five people dead and more than 100 injured, according to Reuters.

The Russian Defense Ministry said four of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles delivered by the United States were shot down by air defense systems, but fragments of the fifth rocket were victims on the ground.

“Responsibility for the deliberate missile attack on civilians in Sevastopol lies primarily with Washington, which supplied these weapons to Ukraine, and with the Kiev regime, from whose territory this strike was carried out,” he said. indicated the ministry.

Medvedev, vice chairman of Russia's Security Council and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, responded to the attack on Telegram.

“The bastards from the United States supply missiles with fragmentation charges to Bandera's supporters and help them reach their target. The bastards from kyiv choose a beach with peaceful people as a target and press the button. Both will burn in hell . I hope not only in the sacred fire, but even earlier – in the earthly fire,” Medvedev wrote, according to the translated message.

Medvedev continued to condemn the attack, saying it was carried out by “extremists.”

“Everything that happened was not a military action, but a despicable and despicable terrorist attack against our people, committed during an Orthodox holiday. Just like the massacre in Dagestan, carried out by extremists. Therefore, now all – the American authorities, the Bandera regime and the crazy fanatics – are no different to us. My deepest condolences to the families of the victims, speedy recovery to the injured,” he added.

Stepan Bandera was the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists during World War II. He is a controversial figure, with many in western Ukraine viewing him as a freedom fighter against the rule of the Soviet Union. Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine view him as a fascist ally of Nazi Germany's leader, Adolf Hitler.

News week contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email for comment.

According to Reuters, the Russian Defense Ministry said Russia would respond to Sunday's attack, adding that Putin had been “in constant contact with the military” since then.

Meanwhile, neither Ukraine nor the United States have commented on the attack. News week also contacted the White House and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry by email for comment.

This comes as the United States is providing military aid to Ukraine to defend against the Russian invasion that began in February 2022. Earlier this year, the United States began providing Ukraine with missiles Longer range ATACMS.

Additionally, tensions between North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries and the Kremlin have continued as NATO leaders have increasingly warned that direct conflict with Moscow constitutes a realistic danger. It comes after Putin and senior Russian officials have repeatedly threatened nuclear escalation against kyiv and its Western partners since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This is not the first time that Medvedev has attacked the United States, as he had already said in Telegram on Friday and told the United States to “tremble and tremble” by rejecting negotiations on the limitation by Russia of its nuclear firepower and suggesting that there could be no limitations in this area. the number of nuclear warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles until the United States withdraws aid to Ukraine.

“The Americans continue to treat everyone like complete idiots. Imagine if Nazi Germany, during World War II, turned to the USSR with a proposal to include in a separate negotiating track the issue of restrictions on weapons production,” he wrote.

Medvedev's comments were in response to U.S. efforts to re-engage Russia in signing a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START.

The last START, called New Start, was signed by President Barack Obama and Medvedev himself in Prague in 2010. This agreement called on both countries to halve the number of strategic nuclear missile launchers in their arsenal and established a new inspection system to support this decision. .

In 2021, President Joe Biden and Putin agreed to extend the treaty for five years until February 2026. In February 2023, however, Russia suspended its participation in New Start, although without formally withdrawing from the agreement.