Nuclear threat: Russia’s Medvedev warns Poland ‘it will get its share of radioactive ash’

Nuclear threat: Russia’s Medvedev warns Poland ‘it will get its share of radioactive ash’

Grzegorz Adamczyk

Former Russian President and current Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev took to social media over the weekend in response to an interview with Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and warned Poland would face a nuclear attack if Poland and its allies responded to any Russian nuclear tactical attack with a massive conventional assault on Russian forces in Ukraine.

“Warsaw will not be omitted and is certain to receive its share of radioactive ash,” wrote Medvedev in response to remarks made on the likelihood of a Russian nuclear attack by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in an interview with The Guardian on May 25. 

Sikorski assessed the likelihood of a Russian nuclear attack as low because of the stance taken by the U.S., and that Poland backed Ukraine’s right to strike at military targets inside Russia, arguing that the West had to stop constantly limiting itself in what it does to support Ukraine.

“The Americans have told the Russians that if you explode a nuke, even if it doesn’t kill anybody, we will hit all your targets (positions) in Ukraine with conventional weapons, we’ll destroy all of them. I think that’s a credible threat,” Sikorski argued.

“The Russians are hitting the Ukrainian electricity grid and their grain terminals and gas storage capacity, civilian infrastructure. The Russian operation is conducted from the HQ at Rostov-on-Don. Apart from not using nuclear weapons, Russia does not limit itself much,” he added. 

Russia’s Medvedev responded on X by claiming that “Sikorski, apparently, has decided to scare his own masters” and challenged Sikorski’s assertions with regard to the Americans.

“First, the Yankees so far haven’t said anything exactly like that because they are more cautious than the Polacks. Second, Americans hitting our targets means starting a world war, and a foreign minister, even of a country like Poland should understand that,” he wrote using the pejorative term “Polack.” 

Medvedev also remarked on Poland’s bid to participate in the NATO nuclear sharing program. 

“And third, considering that yet another Polack, Duda, has recently announced the wish to deploy TNW in Poland, Warsaw won’t be left out, and will surely get its share of radioactive ash. Is it what you really want?” he asked, adding condescendingly, “The Polish are resentful; have been like that for over 400 years…”