It is ‘foolish’ to expect that Western sanctions against Russian enterprises will have any influence on the Moscow government, according to Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s ex-president and deputy head of the Security Council.
In an interview with Russia’s RIA news agency, Medvedev stated that the sanctions will only strengthen Russian society and will not provoke popular unhappiness with the authorities.
The West placed a slew of sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, but one month in, the Kremlin insists that it will go on until it achieves its goals of ‘demilitarisation and denazification’ of Ukraine.
Some of the penalties have explicitly targeted billionaires thought to be close to President Vladimir Putin.
‘Let us ask ourselves: can any of these major businesses wield even the smallest amount of influence over the country’s leadership?’ Medvedev stated this.
Medvedev stated that Russia has the right to deploy nuclear weapons on numerous reasons, including an attack on the country or encroachment on infrastructure, which would paralyse Russia’s nuclear deterrent forces.
That proved Russia’s ‘will to defend our country’s independence and sovereignty, not to give anyone the least cause to question even the slightest that we are ready to offer a worthy reaction to any infringement on our country, on its independence,’ he said.
Negotiations, however, are Moscow’s preferred course of action, especially in the most difficult situations, such as those surrounding Ukraine, he noted.
According to Medvedev, three-quarters of Russians supported the Kremlin’s decision to launch a military action in Ukraine, and even more supported President Vladimir Putin.
While downplaying the economic impact of sanctions, Medvedev stated that the Russian government will have to find ‘sufficient solutions’ on its own to stimulate the development of industries such as aeroplanes, automobiles, and information technology, among others.
‘It will be more difficult to address those concerns now, but we cannot rely on anyone,’ Medvedev added. ‘In this scenario, we’ll have to tackle those issues on our own.’
He slammed Russians who spoke out against the invasion while remaining outside the country.
‘It is normal to be unsatisfied with some of the authorities’ decisions and to criticise the authorities,’ he stated.
‘However, in such a tough situation, you cannot take a stand against the state because this is treason.’
According to an independent protest monitoring organisation, thousands of people were jailed earlier this month at Russia-wide protests against Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
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