Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, whose remarks prompted US President Donald Trump to reposition two nuclear submarines, was once seen as a liberal reformer but has since transformed into one of the Kremlin's most prominent anti-Western hawks.
The 59-year-old politician, who served as head of state from 2008 to 2012, sought "friendly" ties with Europe and the United States during his single term but faded into obscurity after handing the presidency back to President Vladimir Putin.
Demoted to prime minister in 2012 and later appointed deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council in 2020—a largely advisory role—Medvedev began carving out a hardline persona on social media shortly after Moscow launched its offensive in Ukraine.
In public statements since the conflict began, he has described the West as "bastards and degenerates," claimed that "Ukraine, of course, is Russia," and raised the spectre of using nuclear weapons against Russia's enemies.
In June, after the US conducted airstrikes on nuclear facilities in Moscow's ally Iran, Medvedev hinted that "certain countries" were ready to supply Tehran with nuclear warheads, prompting an incensed Trump to accuse him of "casually" threatening a nuclear strike.
On Thursday, Medvedev alluded to Moscow's semi-automatic "Dead Hand" nuclear control system in a Telegram post criticizing Trump.
Critics of Medvedev have mocked his posts as an attempt to remain politically relevant among Russia's crowded elite, but Trump has taken the threats seriously.
"Based on the extremely provocative statements," Trump said on Friday, "I have ordered the positioning of two nuclear submarines in appropriate areas, just in case these idiotic and aggressive statements go any further."
Parallel Rule
Medvedev's often inflammatory posts are a far cry from his public image in office, when he declared that Russia wanted no confrontation with "any country" as part of his foreign policy doctrine.
In 2010, he signed a landmark nuclear arms reduction treaty with US President Barack Obama, and in 2011, he brought Russia into the World Trade Organization (WTO) after 18 years of negotiations.
During his term, Moscow also abstained from a key UN Security Council vote on Libya in 2011, paving the way for a NATO-led military intervention—a decision Putin has relentlessly criticized ever since.
But who the senior partner was in the duo—dubbed Batman and Robin by a secret US diplomatic cable—was always clear.
Medvedev's first act after winning the 2008 presidential election with Putin's backing was to appoint the Russian leader as his prime minister, granting Putin broad decision-making powers.
While some in the West welcomed Medvedev's arrival, others saw him as merely a placeholder for Putin, who could circumvent constitutional term limits and retain de facto power.
In 2008, Russia sent troops into Georgia, fracturing relations with the West—a decision Medvedev claimed was his, but which a top general later said was planned by Putin before Medvedev even took office.
His signature modernization program was marked by bold pronouncements but was also mercilessly mocked by commentators for its lack of action while Putin held the real levers of power.
Putin's Protégé
Medvedev, born in Putin's native Leningrad, owes his entire political career to the former KGB agent.
Putin brought his protégé to Moscow after being appointed prime minister in 1999, and Medvedev quickly rose to become chairman of the gas giant Gazprom. He also served as Kremlin chief of staff and first deputy prime minister.
After taking office, he declared that the Russian economy had reached a "dead end" and was in urgent need of reform.
But skeptics pointed out that such rhetoric meant little while Russia remained dominated by Putin, and Medvedev himself downplayed any suggestion of fundamental differences in their vision.
After championing anti-corruption measures while in office, Medvedev was himself accused of graft in 2017, when the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny alleged he had amassed a luxury real estate empire with embezzled funds. Navalny was labeled an "extremist" by Russian authorities in 2021.
Although liberals and the West had hoped Medvedev would reverse the growing state control and erosion of civil liberties of Putin's previous tenure, he showed little appetite for a complete overhaul of Putin's legacy.
"Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is truly the most popular, experienced and successful politician of modern Russia," Medvedev said, attempting to explain why he stepped aside in Putin's favor in 2012.
