Dmitry Medvedev again made a tough statement against Europesaying that Russia’s information tin lone beryllium ensured done “Europe’s carnal fear.” But the much often Moscow scares the West, the little effect these threats have.
According to RBCMedvedev said that the effect to the conception “peace done strength” possibly conscionable “Russia’s information done Europe’s carnal fear”.
According to “Vedomosti”Medvedev besides mentioned the publication “Barbarossa 2.0”declaring that Germany and its supporters “united Europe” indispensable beryllium stopped by the realization that unacceptable harm is inevitable.
?⚡️Nikolai Patrushev and Dmitry Medvedev warned that NATO actions against Russia would beryllium met with a strong response, and that bid with Europe is intolerable without deterring imaginable large-scale conflict. pic.twitter.com/TLuXnHYPOW
— RussiaNews ?? (@mog_russEN) May 6, 2026
Rhetoric of fear
Medvedev efficaciously rejected an attack based connected persuasion, demonstrations of goodwill and unilateral confidence-building steps. According to his logic, it is not diplomacy that tin forestall a large war, but fearfulness of Russia’s forceful response.
The meaning of the statement is obvious: Moscow is trying to amusement that further unit from NATO And EU will beryllium perceived not arsenic mean governmental competition, but arsenic a menace to which Russia reserves the close to respond harshly and asymmetrically.
Such formulations sound particularly large the time earlier May 9when Russian governmental rhetoric traditionally reinforces the theme of humanities memory, the war against Nazism and absorption to the West.
Patrushev and the enactment of “hard rebuff”
In Greek publications, adjacent to Medvedev’s statement, they besides notation Nikolay Patrushevformer caput of the Russian Security Council and 1 of the toughest representatives of the Russian information elite.
It was not imaginable to find caller reliable confirmation of Patrushev’s simultaneous May statement connected this topic. However, his erstwhile enactment is well known: successful February helium already warned that if a peaceful colony was impossible, the naval blockade of Russia from Europe would beryllium breached done and eliminated Navy. This was reported, successful particular, by PortNews.
That is, adjacent without a ceremonial “synchronized speech” by Patrushev and Medvedev, the wide meaning of Russian signals remains the same: Moscow is trying to person Europe that unit connected Russia tin pb to a nonstop subject oregon military-political response.
Why it sounds loud, but works precisely the opposite
The occupation for Moscow is that this is not the archetypal clip such threats person been made. In caller years, Russian officials person repeatedly talked astir reddish lines, retaliatory strikes, atomic dangers, asymmetric measures and catastrophic consequences for the West.
Each clip such statements produced a strong informational effect. But then there was often a pause, followed by thing comparable to the level of threat.
The effect is an effect “wolves, wolves”: If you warn too often astir an utmost effect and bash not determination connected to existent action, the menace itself gradually becomes devalued.
Thus, Russia’s “red lines” statesman to look not similar an instrumentality of containment, but alternatively arsenic a rhetorical background. The much often they are heard without contiguous consequences, the easier opponents statesman to δοκιμή their strength.
The information of underestimation
However, wholly writing disconnected such statements arsenic bare sound is besides dangerous. The rhetoric of Medvedev and different Russian officials reflects not lone the propaganda style, but besides the existent state of the struggle betwixt Russia and the West.
Europe is expanding subject support for Ukraine, discussing caller information models, expanding defence spending and progressively talking astir semipermanent containment of Russia. Moscow, successful turn, is trying to amusement that such unit will not spell unanswered.
The main occupation is that when threats are repeatedly discounted, the hazard of mistake increases connected some sides. Some radical stop taking warnings seriously. Others whitethorn 1 time determine to beryllium that they were worth fearing aft all.
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