Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev responded to an American effort to support anti-war protests in Russia with a call to put a Russian warship off of the American coast.
Last week, the U.S. embassy in Russia released a video it called “an appeal to the people of Russia.”
“Throughout history, our countries have been united by a common culture and our achievements. We believe that what is happening is not worthy of you, and we stand in solidarity with each of you who strive to create a more peaceful future,” the video said, according to a translation available on Twitter.
На протяжении всей истории наши страны роднила общность культур и наших достижений. Мы считаем, что происходящее вас не достойно, и солидарны с каждым из вас, кто стремится создать более мирное будущее. pic.twitter.com/PcEC8YF6FK
— Посольство США в РФ/ U.S. Embassy Russia (@USEmbRu) January 4, 2023
The video emphasized scientific and cultural partnerships between the U.S. and Russia and included former Soviet Union leaders, such as Leonid Brezhnev, Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin shaking hands with Americans.
In a fiery response, Russia announced that the Admiral Gorshkov warship will conduct a voyage through the Atlantic and Indian oceans and the Mediterranean Sea, according to CNN. Russia has said the ship is armed with Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles, one of Russia’s most advanced weapons systems.
According to a Google Translate version of the post, which was reproduced on Euronews, Medvedev wrote, “The State Department published an unctuous appeal to the people of Russia, like we love you all. It ends in their typical nasty Jesuit style: ‘in solidarity with each of you who strive to create a more peaceful future.’ And the war in Ukraine, they say, is unworthy of everyone like that.”
“Even for these top-notch freaks, this is the height of cynicism and the limit of moral degradation. The United States is spending tens of billions on the war in Ukraine, supplying its weapons on a gigantic scale, exterminating thousands of people by proxy,” he wrote.
Medvedev then sought to support Russia’s contention that its invasion of Ukraine was aimed at attacking Nazi-like elements in Ukraine.
Will America and Russia go to war with each other?
Yes: 23% (3 Votes)
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“This is extreme cynicism in the best traditions of the Nazis. Yes, in fact, sons of b******, carrying such nonsense, are the real heirs of the Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels,” he wrote.
Then came the threatening language.
“The main gift for the New Year with the ammunition load of the Zircon missiles went yesterday to the shores of the NATO countries. 1000 km range of their use with hypersonic Mach 9 and the ability to use any charge with a guarantee overcome any missile defense. Let it stand somewhere 100 miles from the coast, closer to the Potomac River. So rejoice!” he wrote.
“You and your henchmen who kill our people will never be forgiven. We will speak to you in the language of power, if you don’t understand it any other way. And produce even more modern weapons. To thresh with them the Nazi carrion that you gave birth to in the 21st century. Revenge every criminal for every murdered citizen of our country,” he wrote.
Footage of yesterday’s launch of the #hypersonic cruise missile #Zircon from the Admiral #Gorshkov frigate.#Russia
🇷🇺 pic.twitter.com/WsnF5kRiWi— HappyEverline (@busnitized) January 5, 2023
Analyst Carl Schuster said the warship deployment was a piece of political theater, according to CNN.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin is “trying to show Russia remains a global player despite the costs and international condemnation of his assault on Ukraine,” Schuster said.
“He can show his domestic audiences that the international reaction is not as effective as stated in the Western media and that Russia still has friends in key areas. Internationally, he is signaling that sanctions have not affected the Russian navy’s ability to operate and that it remains a global maritime power,” he said.
