In this photo provided by the State Duma, the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Speaker of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin speaks during a parliamentary session in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday. (State Duma, Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation via AP)
MOSCOW (AP) — A senior Kremlin official warned the United States on Wednesday that it could face the “wrath of God” if it continued efforts to help establish an international tribunal to investigate Russia’s actions in Ukraine, while the Russian president chamber urged Washington to remember that Alaska once belonged to Russia.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, chaired by President Vladimir Putin, condemned the US for what he described as its efforts to “spread chaos and destruction around the world in the name of ‘true democracy'”.
“The entire history of the United States since the subjugation of the local Indian population is a series of bloody wars,” Medvedev charged in a lengthy critique on his Telegram channel, pointing to the U.S. nuclear bombing of Japan during World War II and the Vietnam War. “Has accountability been sought for these crimes? Which tribunal condemned the sea of blood spilled by the US there?
Responding to US-backed calls for an international tribunal to prosecute Russia’s alleged war crimes in Ukraine, Medvedev dismissed it as an attempt by the US to “try others while remaining immune from any trial”.
“It won’t work with Russia, they know it well,” concluded Medvedev. “That’s why the rotten dogs of war bark in such a disgusting way.”
“The US and its worthless puppets must remember the words of the Bible: Judge not and you shall not be judged… lest the great day of His wrath come one day to their home,” Medvedev said, referring to the Apocalypse.
He noted that “the idea of punishing the country with the greatest nuclear potential is absurd and potentially threatens the existence of humanity.”
The warning follows a series of strong statements by Putin and his officials, who have pointed to Russia’s nuclear arsenals to warn the West not to interfere with Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.
Medvedev, who was Russia’s president from 2008-2012 when Putin moved to the premiership due to term limits, was widely seen in the West as more liberal than his mentor. In recent months, however, he has made remarks that sound much tougher than those of the most hawkish Kremlin officials.
In another sharp warning to the US, Vyacheslav Volodin, a longtime Putin aide who is the speaker of the lower house of parliament, warned on Wednesday that Washington should remember that Alaska is part of Russia when it freezes Russian assets. Russia colonized Alaska and established several settlements there until the United States purchased it from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million.
“When they try to appropriate our assets abroad, they should be aware that we also have something to demand back,” Volodin said during a meeting with lawmakers.
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