Moscow (EFE).- The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has had many allies and confidants since he came to power, but only one faithful squire, Dmitri Medvedev. Converted into a “hawk” since the beginning of the military intervention in Ukraine, he now seems the only safe bet for the head of the Kremlin and the perfect scapegoat in case of defeat on the battlefield.
“Let’s be honest, Ukraine is part of Russia. But for geopolitical reasons (…) for a long time we were content to live in different apartments,” Medvedev said in a recent interview with Russian media.
He arrived in Moscow a quarter of a century ago as Putin’s assistant, became his dauphin, kept the Kremlin seat for him (2008-12), headed the Government and the presidential party, and now he is in charge of directing the military industry and, in his spare time, to intimidate Western leaders through social media.
perfect scapegoat
Some analysts suggest that Medvedev could be the ideal figure to take the blame if things go wrong at the front.
To do this, according to experts, he could assume the post of prime minister in the coming months, replacing the technocrat Mikhail Mishustin, with an eye on Putin focusing on the 2024 presidential elections.
To begin with, as a reward for his loyalty, Putin appointed Medvedev last December as deputy head of the Military Industry Commission, which is in charge of supervising the progress of weapons production.
Medvedev, who always defended that the Russian army was not suffering from a shortage of ammunition as the Western intelligence services assure, was rescued last week by a telegram written by Iosif Stalin during World War II to “harangue” the military industry.
“Within a few days, if it is shown that you have breached your duty to the motherland, I will begin to annihilate you as criminals who disparage the honor and interests of your motherland. Our soldiers cannot be allowed to suffer on the front lines from tank shortages, while far in the rear lingers and wanders,” he read.
The Phoenix
When Medvedev left the government at the beginning of 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic, after eight years of unfortunate memory, his political career was in the doldrums.
The famous phrase that he uttered in front of a group of elderly people interested in the indexation of pensions went down in the history of Russian politics: “There is simply no money. But you hold on. I wish you the best, good spirits and good health.”
The Russians blamed him for all the ills – the economy stagnated -, to which the fact that he presided over the Kremlin party, United Russia, implicated in cases of corruption and electoral fraud, did not contribute.
In fact, his unpopularity made him disappear from the limelight with the exception of weekly Security Council meetings, where he was Putin’s deputy.
Everything changed in February 2022 with the start of the military campaign in Ukraine. Medvedev saw the opportunity to rise from the ashes and once again play the role of Putin’s dolphin.
western whip
While Putin has spoken very occasionally in the last year about the progress of the fighting, Medvedev does so several times a week from his Telegram channel, almost always using language that is far removed from his image as a liberal leader fond of the gadgets.
“Especially in light of statements by American bastards like Sen. (Republican Lindsey) Graham about shooting down Russian planes. By the way, sometimes plane crashes happen to these kinds of people, ”warned Medvedev, who concluded his post with a cross emoticon.
Medvedev, who signed START III in 2010 with his American colleague, Barack Obama, and abstained in the UN Security Council vote on a resolution that led to the death of the Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, now claims that he deeply dislikes most Western leaders.
“Every day foreign weapons supplies to Ukraine bring that same nuclear apocalypse closer. That doesn’t mean it’s going to happen, but the horsemen of the apocalypse are already on their way and they continue their advance. Do not have the slightest doubt, ”he said.
Regarding the arrest warrant against Putin ordered by the International Criminal Court (ICC), he warned that it would be equivalent to a “declaration of war” and threatened to bombard the court’s headquarters in The Hague with missiles.
“We are all at the mercy of God and the missiles!” he said.