Medvedev made another comment that should concern Russia's neighbors

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made another concerning comment about the fate of areas close to Russia while speaking at a congress of Russia’s United Party, the ruling political party helmed by Vladimir Putin. 

Medvedev is a close ally of Putin and previously served as President of Russia. He has remained a powerful political player in Russia. At present, Medvedev is Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council. 

Often seen as a firebrand against the West, and one of the most hawkish foreign policy personalities, Medvedev has been described as the man who Russia’s leader chose to filter their pronouncements against the West through first. 

Medvedev has been criticized for his verbal belligerence and nuclear warnings, which is why some of his recent comments during a meeting of Russia’s United Party have been making headlines. Medvedev said something very worrying. 

According to a translation from Newsweek, Medvedev said that the action Moscow has taken in Ukraine could be needed again in the future for other regions close to Russia in a chilling message about what might await the country's neighbors. 

"By the way, this experience [of occupying Ukrainian oblasts] may be in demand in the future if new, but very close regions appear within our country," he said. "After all, this is possible,” Medvedev stated according to Newsweek’s translation.

What the Deputy Chairmen of Russia’s Security Council meant by his one-off statement was made clear by Medvedev. He didn’t list the regions he was referring to but there are a few options the veiled threat could have been made towards. 

Medvedev may have been suggesting that a state like its neighbor Georgia, which has recently seen its pro-Russian party government postpone plans to open talks on joining the European Union until 2028. 

The decision “catalyzed anger that had been seething since a parliamentary election in October, which Georgian Dream claimed to have won but which international observers said was marred by vote-buying and ballot-stuffing,” The Economist noted. 

Protests in Georgia are still going strong as of December 16th and are similar to those of Ukraine's Euromaidan in 2014, an event that ultimately led to the current war Ukraine is fighting against Russia and the annexation of territories, portions of which were taken by pro-Russian separatists. 

It’s important to note that Georgia has two pro-Russian breakaway territories, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which broke away from Georgia following a five-day conflict in which they were supported by Russian forces according to CNN. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Andrein, CC BY-SA 3.0

Medvedev was the President of Russia at the time of the 2008 conflict and he signed an order that recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, circumstances which are quite similar to the four regions Russia has annexed from Ukraine. 

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