Alwaght- Russia would have been forced to use a nuclear weapon if Ukraine was successful in its ongoing counteroffensive to tear off part of the Russian territory, former president, Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday.
"Imagine if the ... offensive, which is backed by [the Western military alliance of] NATO, was a success and they tore off a part of our land, then we would be forced to use a nuclear weapon according to the rules of a decree from the president of Russia," Medvedev, who is currently the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said.
"There would simply be no other option. So, our enemies should pray for our warriors' [success]. They are making sure that a global nuclear fire is not ignited," he added in a message on his official social media accounts.
Russia's nuclear doctrine authorizes deployment of nuclear weapons if the country is to be targeted by an offensive that faces it with an existential threat.
Since last February, when Russia launched what it called a special military operation in Ukraine, several Ukrainian regions have voted in favor of joining the Russian Federation, prompting Moscow to start defending them as parts of its own territory.
This is not the first time that Medvedev has raised the possibility of a nuclear war since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine.
Back in July, he said confrontation with the West would "last decades," warning against a "quite probable" nuclear conflict.
And last year, he warned that continued influx of Western weapons into Ukraine amid the raging war risked to pave the way for a global nuclear catastrophe.
Urging an immediate halt to supply of Western heavy weaponry to the embattled government in Kiev, he said nuclear war over Ukraine was possible if Western countries continued to arm Kiev despite repeated warnings from Moscow.
"Of course, the pumping in of weapons can continue .... and prevent any possibility of reviving negotiations," Medvedev said.
"Our enemies are doing just that, not wanting to understand that their goals will certainly lead to a total fiasco. Loss for everyone. A collapse. Apocalypse. Where you forget for centuries about your former life, until the rubble ceases to emit radiation," he added.
