Russia doesn’t really need diplomatic relations with the West, former president and top security official Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday in what he called Russia’s military operation in Ukraine after the West imposed sanctions on Moscow.
Medvedev wrote on social media that it was time to “lock down the embassy”.
He said Moscow would continue to operate in Ukraine until the goals set by President Vladimir Putin were achieved.
Medvedev commented on a verified page on the Russian social network VK.
Vladimir Putin’s decision on Wednesday to accept Dmitry Medvedev’s resignation came as no surprise. Medvedev’s position in the Russian government has been steadily declining for some time.
There are some embarrassing public moments. During Putin’s presidential speech, Medvedev was photographed dozing off, not once, but several times.
These omissions could have been forgiven. But allegations of personal corruption could fatally weaken Medvedev, prompting Putin to replace his premiership with the low-profile tax official Mikhail Mishustin. In a video watched by 33 million people on YouTube in 2017, opposition leader Alexei Navalny accused Medvedev of secretly owning palaces, yachts and Italian vineyards.
Medvedev wears Nike Air Max sneakers. Photo: Handout
Medvedev allegedly used friends for online shopping. Photos showing the Prime Minister wearing a pair of Nike sneakers apparently confirm this. The same friend is said to be a spokesperson for Medvedev’s hidden assets. The film claims the Prime Minister embezzled $1.2 billion. Surveys are fun and interesting. These included footage of Medvedev Jr. dancing with his cronies.
Corruption is not uncommon among senior Kremlin officials. Medvedev called the claims “nonsense”. Still, the allegations are hugely damaging at a time when the standard of living of ordinary Russians has plummeted following Putin’s 2014 annexation of Crimea with Western sanctions. Medvedev’s own speech condemning the theft didn’t help.
Putin’s constitutional amendment on Wednesday appeared to mark the end of Medvedev’s political career on the front lines. Medvedev has a new job: Vice-President of the Security Council. The changes suggest Putin will remain in power after his fourth term ends in 2024, although Putin’s future role remains unclear.
It was a humiliating end for Medvedev, Russia’s third president after Yeltsin and Putin. When Medvedev got the job in 2008, Western observers searched in vain for signs that he was more liberal than Putin. After trying to reshape relations with Moscow, the Obama administration concluded that any differences were merely stylistic.
In 2008, the US embassy sent the State Department a joke circulating in Moscow. Putin assumes Medvedev’s premiership. The question plaguing Russian and foreign experts is: Who among them is the real ruler of Russia? The Kremlin is said to have a progressive Medvedev camp. But it is unclear whether Medvedev was involved.
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