Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated Thursday that any weapons in Moscow's arsenal, including strategic nuclear weapons, may be used to defend Russian territory from Ukraine.
According to the former head of state, there will be referendums organized by separatist and Russian-installed authorities in significant portions of Russian-occupied Ukrainian areas.
Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, also noted: "There is no going back" as Russia will accept the Donbas (Donetsk and Luhansk) republics and other territories, Reuters reported.
The Russian military forces would greatly increase their security of all the territories, according to Medvedev, who also added:
"Russia has indicated that any Russian weapon, "including strategic nuclear weapons and weapons based on new principles," may be employed for such protection in addition to mobilization capabilities.
Russian Occupied Areas in Ukraine Will Hold Referendums
On Friday, Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia provinces, as well as part of Mykolaiv province, will hold referendums on joining Russia.
Kyiv and its Western allies have called the elections a sham because they are being set up with only a few days' notice while the country is under military occupation.
The seized regions, where Ukrainian counteroffensives have picked up steam in recent weeks, will be entitled to protection from Russian nuclear weapons under Moscow's nuclear policy if they are formally accepted by the Russian Federation, per Al Jazeera.
The Russian military only controls about 60 percent of the Donetsk and 66 percent of the Zaporizhzhia regions, indicating Moscow does not completely control any of the four territories it would attempt to annex.
In recent months, Medvedev has frequently made hostile statements about the West and Ukraine, underscoring his transition from an outwardly Western-minded liberalizer as president from 2008 to 2012 to an outspoken geopolitical hawk.
Putin Not Bluffing
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the West is attempting to "destroy" Russia, and Kremlin will surely use "all the means" to safeguard the nation and its people when the territorial integrity of the country is "threatened."
"This is not a bluff," he added, per a report from The Jerusalem Post.
On Wednesday, a high-ranking Biden administration official rejected Putin's nuclear-charged language as the Russian leader had waved the nuclear card before and did it again during his recent speech.
The source added, "the language and formula he used today is quite similar to how he's spoken before."
The seized regions, where Ukrainian counteroffensives have picked up steam in recent weeks, will be entitled to protection from Russian nuclear weapons under Moscow's nuclear policy if the Russian Federation formally accepts them.
In other related updates, many Russians booked one-way flights out of the country Wednesday after Vladimir Putin announced a partial activation of military reservists for the Ukraine war.
Flights filled rapidly and rates for remaining connections surged, allegedly due to fears that Russia's borders could soon close or that Putin could announce a bigger call-up that could send many Russian men of fighting age to the front lines, according to AP News.
Air Serbia, the only other European airline, operating flights between Moscow and Belgrade despite a flying embargo by the European Union, swiftly sold out of tickets for the ensuing several days.