One of Vladimir Putin’s most senior allies has suggested Russia should carpet-bomb the whole of Britain.
Dmitry Medvedev, a former long-time prime minister under Putin who also served as his puppet president for four years, threatened to ‘sink’ the UK in an unhinged social media post on Sunday.
He referred to comments by former Russian Olympic champion skier Yelena Välbe that Russians would be accepted on the world stage ‘if we had launched a serious bomb into the centre of London’.
Medvedev, who is now deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, wrote to his 1.4 million Telegram followers: ‘Our famous skier Elena Vyalbe suggested dropping a bomb on London.
‘That’s right, of course, but we need to solve the problem at its root and immediately sink the damned island of Anglo-Saxon dogs.’
His remarks came shortly ahead of Putin’s 72nd birthday on Monday, during which he has been publicly congratulated by only two other world leaders so far.
Alexander Lukashenko, the dictator in charge of allied Belarus, praised his pal’s ‘deep understanding of Russia’s historic mission, personal responsibility for the fate of the people and the Fatherland’.
Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has been trying to foster closer ties with the EU, said: ‘Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, please accept my sincere congratulations and best wishes on your birthday.’
There were no public messages from some of his closest allies including North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and China’s Xi Jinping.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin placed another set of nuclear-capable missile launchers on combat-ready duty.
Russian state news agency Tass reported launch systems for Yars RS-24 intercontinental ballistic missiles were rolled out in Siberia ‘for long-term duty in the field’.
It said personnel were ‘testing manoeuvring actions’ on combat routes and working on ‘countering sabotage and reconnaissance groups’.
The missile has a range of 7,500 miles, meaning it could comfortably reach anywhere in the UK if fired from Siberia.
Two battalions of the military regiment handling the missiles were placed on combat duty last December.
Skier Välbe, 56, who is now president of the Russian Cross-Country Skiing Federation, called for Russia to murder British civilians in response to the freezing-out of Russian athletes in several international sports tournaments.
In comments reported by EAD, she said: ‘I think that if we had launched a serious bomb in the centre of London, everything would have ended by now, and we’d be allowed everywhere.
‘You know, Russia’s struggle with the outside world has been going on for centuries. We’ve never been loved.
‘Even when they pretended to let us in everywhere, they still didn’t like us. As I say, they’re always standing with a dagger behind their back.
‘I love when the country is strong, and I suppose it’s our strength that irritates the whole world.’
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