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Following US President Donald Trump’s harsh response to nuclear threats against America, Russian Security Council Deputy Chair Dmitry Medvedev has shifted his aggressive rhetoric toward Finland, which the Kremlin sees as a convenient target due to its NATO membership and historical myths.
This assessment was voiced by Ambassador Andriy Veselovskyi, advisor to the director of Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies, in comments to Ukrinform.
“Medvedev is not an influential political figure in Russia. He is a Kremlin-manufactured scarecrow, a voice for the most radical forces. That’s why he makes absurd statements like bombing Berlin, storming London, or even reaching Washington,” Veselovskyi said.
The diplomat noted that after Medvedev’s reckless nuclear threats against the US in early August, Trump responded by ordering two nuclear submarines to strategic regions, making clear that “stupid and provocative statements” would not be tolerated. Medvedev then disappeared from the spotlight for a time before “finding a weaker target” in Finland.
According to Veselovskyi, the Kremlin uses false narratives, accusing Finland of aggression and preparing for war. Russia also exploits the memory of the 1939–40 Soviet-Finnish war to justify claims that Finland “gave up too little territory” and now must be punished for joining NATO.
“This is nonsense and deliberate distortion. Finland joined NATO because Russia attacked Ukraine, destroys Finnish property and resources in the Baltic Sea, blocks shipping, and disrupts GPS over Finland. Having failed to intimidate the US, Moscow chose Finland as the new ‘victim,’” he stressed.
Medvedev recently published an article via state agency TASS, accusing Finland of preparing a “launchpad for attack” against Russia and warning that confrontation could mean the “collapse of Finnish statehood forever.”
