Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Security Council Chairman and former President of Russia, has given another blunt warning to Western leaders over their increasingly dangerous involvement in the war in Ukraine. In a Sep. 10 interview with Vedomosti, Medvedev was asked about his recent “hinting” at Russia’s use of nuclear weapons. He responded strongly that his comments were “not hints,” but referred to Russia’s actual nuclear doctrine. “This is not a scare tactic; it is reality. Russia’s nuclear doctrine—under which the country reserves the right to use such weapons if its security is threatened—can hardly be described as a mere hint,” he said, reported Anadolu Agency.

Russia’s nuclear doctrine holds that any aggression by a non-nuclear state, with the participation or support of a nuclear power, is considered a joint attack—and Russia reserves the right to respond accordingly.