'Ukraine Is, of Course, Russia:' Putin Ally

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has denied Ukraine's sovereignty, saying that the country Moscow has invaded "is, of course, Russia."

Medvedev, who was head of state between 2008 and 2012, and is now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, told an audience on Monday that "the current Ukrainian state, first of all, is destructive for its citizens themselves, for the citizens of, in fact, a failed country. The best thing that awaits them is to be slaves."

In front of a map showing Ukraine divided between Russia, Poland and Romania, Medvedev added, "previously, one of Ukraine's leaders said that Ukraine is not Russia."

"This idea should disappear forever. Ukraine is, of course, Russia," Medvedev said to applause, in a clip posted to X, formerly Twitter, by the news outlet Nexta.

Medvedev was addressing the World Youth Festival in Sirius, in Russia's Krasnodar region, which is linked by the Kerch Bridge to Crimea, the peninsula that Putin annexed in 2014.

Medvedev reiterated comments that Putin made at the Moscow-based think tank, the Valdai Discussion Club, in October last year: "Russia has no borders." An image of a billboard in Moscow carrying the Putin comment went viral on social media last month. Medvedev said that Putin "spoke about our borders accurately and succinctly: 'Russia's borders do not end anywhere.' These are very good words."

"The strategic borders of a state directly depend on how far its political power extends, how strong and sovereign this or that country is and its authorities, of course," he said, according to Russian media outlets.

Social-media users noted Medvedev's sartorial choice as much as his statement, with journalist Max Seddon from U.K. newspaper Financial Times posting on X: "Wearing a Kim Jong-Un-style tunic, Dmitry Medvedev says 'Ukraine is definitely Russia' and shows off a map of what he thinks should be left of Ukraine. Spoiler: not much!"

The journalist Leonid Ragozin wrote: "Note Medvedev's Dr Evil suit as he proclaims that 'Ukraine is of course Russia' at the backdrop of a map that shows Ukraine almost entirely divided between Russia, Poland and Romania.

"Circus imperialism, what a career choice to make," Ragozin added. Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry for comment.

Over the full-scale invasion, Medvedev has made repeated threats against the West, especially on his Telegram channel where his invective has often referred to Russia's nuclear weapons' capabilities.

Last month, Medvedev condemned further U.S.-led sanctions on Moscow, vowing that, "we all just need to remember this and take revenge on them where we can."

Update 03/04/24, 6:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with further information.