Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev unleashed a tirade of abuse on Telegram. The country had been abandoned by "terrified partners". In addition, Russia's opponents in the West are "part of a dying world".
Russia's ex-president Dmitry Medvedev has called the citizens who fled Russia after Russian troops were sent to Ukraine "cowardly traitors". "Cowardly traitors and greedy defectors have fled to distant lands - may their bones rot abroad," Medvedev wrote in the online service Telegram. "We have been abandoned by some frightened partners - who cares," added the former president, stressing that Russia would be "stronger and cleaner" without these people.
After the start of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine in February, tens of thousands of Russians fled the country. A second wave of escapes followed after Putin announced on September 21 that 300,000 reservists would be mobilized.
Since the deployment of Russian troops in Ukraine, Medvedev has increasingly published anti-Western posts on social media. Medvedev was President of Russia from 2008 to 2012 before swapping roles with Putin and serving as Prime Minister until 2020. Medvedev is currently chairman of the Russian Security Council.
Medvedev also justified the war against Ukraine on the day of national unity in Russia. Like President Vladimir Putin in his speeches, he too portrayed Ukraine as part of Russia. "We don't need foreign territories, we have everything in abundance. But there is native soil on which our ancestors lived and on which our people live today. We won't give them to anyone," Medvedev wrote on Telegram.
Russia's opponents in Ukraine and in the West are "part of a dying world," said the Deputy Secretary of the Security Council. He took up the propaganda motif that had recently been circulating in Russia that the Ukraine was dealing with devilish forces. "The aim is to stop the supreme lord of hell, whatever name he takes - Satan, Lucifer or Iblis," he wrote. "Therefore our cause is just," he wrote, referring to a quote the Soviet Union had used in 1941 to call for defense against the German attack.
Medvedev, who as president (2008-2012) embodied the hope for a more liberal Russia, has repeatedly made particularly radical statements about the war in Ukraine. Putin wants to open a major historical exhibition in Moscow on Friday, presenting the official Russian view of Ukraine. Russia attacked the neighboring country more than eight months ago on February 24th. The Ukrainians are fighting back as best they can and are being supported by a large number of Western countries.
