Former Russian president threatens to turn Kiev into ‘melting ground’ if long-range missiles are approved

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned that the Kremlin could reduce Kiev to a “giant molten place” if Ukraine’s allies give the green light to fire long-range missiles deep into Russia.

Ukraine has called on the West to allow it to use Western-supplied long-range missiles to strike military targets in Russia, saying this is vital to winning the war.

Vladimir Putin said that if Ukraine’s Western partners gave Kiev permission, it would amount to NATO being “at war” with Moscow.

In a message full of insults, typical of Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council issued another threat on behalf of the Kremlin on Saturday.

He claimed that the West underestimated the possibility of Moscow’s retaliation over the decision, writing on the Telegram messenger app: “Those arrogant Anglo-Saxon bastards do not want to admit one thing: all patience is running out.”

“And then it happened. A giant gray melted spot on the site of Russia’s mother city. Holy shit! It’s impossible, but it happened…”

Moscow is known for making sensational threats of further escalation against the West and Ukraine if support for Kiev continues or increases. Medvedev’s threats are consistently among the most aggressive, more in line with the hyperbolic pronouncements of Russian state media presenters than with Putin’s remarks.

The former Russian president’s latest post on X, formerly Twitter, suggested Russia could use hypersonic missiles to “sink” Britain, following Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s trip to Kiev earlier this week.

But it comes as the US appears uncertain whether to cross this latest Kremlin red line. While the UK is believed to be in favour of lifting the restriction, as US systems are reportedly integral to firing these missiles, the decision ultimately lies with Washington.

Ukraine on Saturday again called on the West to give the green light, after a meeting between US and British leaders a day earlier failed to produce any visible change in their policies on the use of long-range weapons.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Andriy Yermak said: “Russian terror begins with arms depots, airfields and military bases in the Russian Federation. Permission to strike deep inside Russia will accelerate the solution.”

Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war for the second day in a row on Saturday, with both sides releasing 103 people.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the exchanged Russian soldiers were captured in Russia’s Kursk region after Ukraine’s border attack last month.

The United Arab Emirates says it brokered the exchange of 206 prisoners between Russia and Ukraine, the eighth such mediation attempt.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised officials overseeing the exchange in a message on X, saying: “Our people are at home.”