MOSCOW (BN24) — Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday issued a stark warning to President Donald Trump, reminding the U.S. leader of Russia’s Cold War-era “Dead Hand” nuclear command system following Trump’s public rebuke of the Kremlin official on social media.
The escalating exchange erupted after Trump lashed out at Medvedev in a late-night post on his Truth Social platform, telling the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council to “watch his words” following remarks Medvedev made about Trump’s proposed tariffs on Russian oil and its buyers.
“Tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!” Trump wrote, targeting the former Kremlin leader for the second time in less than a month.
The confrontation follows Trump’s July 29 ultimatum, in which he gave Moscow “10 days” to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face sweeping tariffs targeting Russian energy exports and the countries that purchase them. So far, Russia has shown no sign of complying. The Kremlin continues to push peace terms Kyiv considers tantamount to surrender.
In his latest remarks, Trump made clear that he was unbothered by India’s continued energy ties with Moscow, stating bluntly, “They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.” He added, “We have done very little business with India. Their tariffs are too high, among the highest in the world. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way.”
Medvedev responded via Telegram, arguing that Trump’s fierce reaction validated Russia’s approach.
“If some words from the former president of Russia trigger such a nervous reaction from the high-and-mighty president of the United States, then Russia is doing everything right and will continue to proceed along its own path,” Medvedev said.
He then invoked the Cold War-era “Dead Hand,” a semi-automated Soviet-era nuclear retaliatory system designed to launch Russia’s strategic arsenal in the event of a decapitation strike that wipes out the Kremlin’s leadership. “Trump should remember how dangerous the fabled ‘Dead Hand’ can be,” Medvedev warned.
Medvedev, once seen as a moderate, has become one of the Kremlin’s most aggressive voices since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Though widely dismissed by Russian opposition figures as erratic and inflammatory, his rhetoric is seen by some Western diplomats as a window into the prevailing mindset within Russia’s national security establishment.
Trump, who previously warned Medvedev in July for “throwing around the N (nuclear) word,” again criticized the Russian official’s inflammatory nuclear threats. That earlier warning came after Medvedev commented on U.S. strikes against Iran and hinted that “a number of countries” might be willing to supply Tehran with nuclear warheads.
At the time, Trump responded with derision: “I guess that’s why Putin’s ‘THE BOSS’,” suggesting Medvedev had little authority in Moscow’s chain of command.
The latest spat comes as diplomatic tensions between Washington and Moscow remain high, with the war in Ukraine grinding on and nuclear threats continuing to loom in the rhetoric of both sides.
