Moscow: If they try to regain Crimea - we'll use all kinds of weapons, virtually all

Moscow: If they try to regain Crimea - we'll use all kinds of weapons, virtually all

If we are talking about some serious offensives linked to the attempt to recapture Crimea, it is absolutely clear that this is the reason for using all means of protection, including those provided for by the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, Medvedev said in an interview with Russian media.

He pointed out that it is obvious that there is a reason for the use of any weapon.

"Absolutely any weapon. And I hope our friends across the ocean understand that, Medvedev added, as RIA Novosti reports.

Medvedev claims that Kyiv is preparing for offensive operations and adds that Russia knows this and that the Russian General Staff is preparing a response.

"Ukrainians, think if you want to open Pandora's box"

Medvedev also urged Ukrainians to think hard whether they want to open Pandora's box, using shells with depleted uranium.

"I think that at this moment the people who remain in the state of Ukraine are thinking about whether they want such weapons to be used. They are the ones who are opening Pandora's box. They are doing it, not the other way around," he said.

He also said that although such munitions are not classified as nuclear weapons, they can still create nuclear waste. Medvedev pointed to the experience of their previous use during the NATO invasion of Yugoslavia in 1999.

"For now, there are no final assessments and those weapons are not banned. But the long-term consequences can be very severe, because the citizens of Serbia, residents of the former Yugoslavia, are now recording a significant increase in cancerous diseases in their territory," he said.

According to him, the core with depleted uranium in those missiles penetrates the armor of tanks extremely well. "But the problem is that it still creates nuclear waste, and we don't have information that would show exactly how dangerous it is," Medvedev pointed out.

He wondered why it was called depleted uranium and stated that it was because it was less radioactive than other isotopes. "But it is still radioactive, it still produces radioactive waste," Medvedev added.