According to him, "an attack on Crimea means an attack on Russia" and the escalation of the conflict and the "Ukrainian gang of drug addicts" must understand that such attacks will meet inevitable retribution using weapons of any kind.

“International law respects the will of the people.

Crimea is Russia,” he wrote on Twitter.

Earlier, Medvedev warned that Moscow was ready to use all types of weapons if Ukraine made an attempt to strike at Russian territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed that the issue of Crimea is closed for Russia, and the referendum on the peninsula was held in strict accordance with international law. 

Crimea became a Russian region after a referendum held there in March 2014: the majority of residents voted for reunification with Russia.