Medvedev: Russia at War With 3.6 Million-Strong NATO Army

The North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) is directly involved in the Ukrainian crisis, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with leading Russian media, including Sputnik.

"I will only say one thing, something that is already so obvious: the Russian Federation is not at war with Ukraine, not with the Ukrainian half-Nazi or Nazi regime – our country is at war with a 3.6 million [strong] NATO army. They are participating, of course, in such a hybrid conflict, and they, in fact, no longer hide it," he said.

Medvedev added that some western analysts have already admitted NATO's participation.

Commenting on the goals of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, Medvedev stated that Russia must create a "sanitary zone" that will not allow the use of weapons at medium and short distances.

"We need to achieve all the goals that have been set to protect our territories... Drive out all the foreigners who are there, in the broadest sense of the word, create a sanitary zone that will not allow the use of any types of weapons that work at medium and short distances, that is, 70-100 kilometers, to demilitarize it, if we talk about the military component," Medvedev said.

He stressed that any attempt to seize Crimea will be a cause to implement all weapons, including those mentioned in nuclear deterrence doctrine since it would be a direct threat to the existence of our state.

In 2014, Crimea and Sevastopol reunited with Russia following a referendum. Citizens of the peninsula were seeking protection from the neo-Nazi junta that organized the Maidan coup in Kiev and discriminated against those Ukrainians who identified themselves as Russians.

Medvedev also stressed that in order to "exterminate this [neo-Nazi] infection (...) nothing can be ruled out" during the special military operation.

“...If you need to reach Kiev, then you need to go to Kiev, if you need to reach Lvov, then you need to go to Lvov in order to exterminate this infection,” he stressed.

He added that Western military specialists that reside in Ukraine are considered legitimate targets for the Russian army since they are directly involved in the conflict.

Similarly, he slammed the UK's intention to supply Ukraine with depleted uranium shells, stressing that although they are not a nuclear weapon in a narrow sense of the word, it is radioactive and may cause cancer, as numerous medical surveys following NATO's bombing of the former Yugoslavia reveal.

According to Medvedev, Ukrainians should ask themselves - "do they want such weapons to be used?" He advises them not to "open Pandora's box."

When asked to comment on the role of international institutions in the ongoing Ukraine crisis, Medvedev stressed that some have proved ineffective.

"Some of them are ineffective, some of them are junk in nature, such as the ICC and some others, some of them are functioning," Medvedev stated.

According to him, the world has changed and the time of regional agreements like BRICS and SCO lies ahead.

"There is no turning back. Things will never be the same again… The dictate of the Anglo-Saxon countries is over. This becomes clear in the light of the events that are taking place and yesterday's talks (on Tuesday with the head of China)," he said.

He added that he feels positive about that.

“I don’t know what will happen next, but it is obvious that the era of regional agreements such as BRICS, SCO, bilateral relations is coming. This may even seem like a step backwards in some ways, but such a step back is better than an attempt to portray unanimity under the auspices of the UN or some other political body," Medvedev concluded.