Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, has issued a fresh round of threats against Germany and the European Union, warning that Moscow could destroy European civilisation if the bloc continues to back Ukraine. In a statement on 7 May, Medvedev accused Berlin of revanchism and attempting to rewrite the outcome of World War Two, and claimed that Germany’s current leaders and Ukraine’s government are ‘blood brothers’ and heirs to Adolf Hitler’s national socialism. He also warned against hoping for restraint from Berlin, insisting that Germany would not shy away from the risk of war.
Medvedev’s diatribe against Berlin
Medvedev specifically targeted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whom he labelled a ‘descendant of the Nazis’, and argued that the German government’s ‘reckless actions’ endanger the security of Central and Eastern Europe and the entire continent. He threatened that in the event of a military conflict with Germany, Russia would destroy the country’s prized industrial base and possibly European civilisation as a whole. The remarks are the latest in a series of increasingly aggressive statements from Medvedev, who has positioned himself as the Kremlin’s most vocal hawk on Western defence policies.
Germany’s defence overhaul
The threats come against the backdrop of a major German military build-up. Berlin has officially designated Russia as the primary threat to European security and ordered the Bundeswehr to become the most powerful conventional army on the continent. Germany’s defence strategy, backed by a relaxation of borrowing rules in March 2025, aims to fully equip the armed forces by 2029 – the year NATO assessments suggest Moscow could be ready to attack the alliance directly. The German government is also reforming its military recruitment system to meet the new targets.
The Kremlin’s ‘controlled hawk’
Analysts see Medvedev’s outbursts as a deliberate tool of information warfare. Inside Russia’s political system, he serves as a controlled extremist who voices the most radical threats, allowing President Vladimir Putin to maintain a more measured public image. Medvedev’s aggressive rhetoric is also a survival mechanism: after his earlier image as a liberal moderniser collapsed, he now proves his usefulness through ultra-radical statements and demonstrative hatred of the West. The Kremlin uses his tirades to test European and American reactions, raise tension, and create an atmosphere of fear around Europe’s defence efforts.
Implications for European security
Moscow is attempting to convince Europeans that strengthening defence automatically leads to war, but the reality is the opposite. European weakness and long-term dependence on Russian resources created the conditions for Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. A strong Bundeswehr and a Europe ready to defend itself are factors of deterrence, not provocation. Germany and the EU must respond to Medvedev’s threats not with fear but by reinforcing military production, protecting critical infrastructure, countering Russian influence networks, and maintaining support for Ukraine as the frontline of European security. Any attempts to appease the Kremlin would only increase the risk of further aggression.
