Russia's former president, Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, on Thursday repeated the Kremlin's threat to use nuclear weapons in the war of aggression against Ukraine.

Medvedev mentions, among other things, strategic nuclear weapons.

They can be used against strategic targets such as major cities, military bases and important infrastructure far away on other continents.

"Russia's armed forces will strengthen the defense of the newly annexed territories.

Russia has made it clear that not only its mobilization capabilities will be used in such a defense, but also all Russian weapons, including strategic nuclear weapons and weapons based on new technologies," writes Medvedev, on Telegram.

The head of the Russian Security Service (FSB) Alexander Bortnikov, vice-chairman of the National Security Council Dimitriy Medvedev, the head of occupied Donetsk, Denis Pushilin and the Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev.

Photo: Epa 11 August 2022

Guterres: Abolish nuclear weapons

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Russia's renewed threat when the Security Council met on Thursday and is now talking about dismantling.

- All nuclear weapons countries should recommit themselves not to use them and to gradually phase them out.

He continued:

- I am also concerned about the information about the plans to hold so-called referendums in the regions of Ukraine that are not currently controlled by the country's government.

A state's annexation of another state's territory by threat or force constitutes a violation of the UN Charter and international law.

Russian intercontinental ballistic missile Yars is on display at the annual parade on Red Square in Moscow.

Photo: EPA May 9, 2022

International Day of Peace

It was on the International Day of Peace that President Vladimir Putin announced that a partial mobilization of 300,000 people is being carried out to strengthen the Russian military.

At the same time, he repeated threats of nuclear weapons.

Following Putin's statement, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby appeared in a lengthy television interview with News Nation.

- Those are the kinds of words he (Putin) has used before.

He has been talking and threatening nuclear weapons since the beginning of the conflict.

But that doesn't mean we don't take it seriously or monitor it - because we do.

We have yet to see any indication that would cause us to change our stance on deterrence.