‘Russia Will Be Forced to Use Tactical Nukes’ – Medvedev Warns Over Alleged Kyiv Bomb Transfer

Russia will be forced to use tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine – and potentially Britain and France – if nuclear technology is transferred to Kyiv, former Russian President and Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev warned.

“Information about France and Britain’s intention to transfer nuclear technology to the Kyiv Nazi regime radically changes the situation. And this isn’t about destroying the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons or anything else in international law,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram, commenting on claims issued by Russian authorities.

In the post, Medvedev referred to Ukraine’s government as a “Nazi regime,” a false characterization that reflects Moscow’s longstanding effort to frame its 2022 invasion as a campaign of “denazification.”

He argued that providing Ukraine with nuclear technology would effectively amount to transferring nuclear weapons to a country engaged in active hostilities

“In such a scenario, Russia will be forced to use any weapon, including non-strategic nuclear weapons, against targets in Ukraine that pose a threat to our country,” he wrote. “And, if necessary, against supplier countries that become complicit in a nuclear conflict with Russia. This is the symmetrical response to which the Russian Federation has the right.”

Medvedev further claimed that transferring nuclear technology to Ukraine could be a direct path to world war. He has repeatedly issued nuclear threats since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion began. In early 2024, he warned Kyiv against using Western long-range missiles to strike launchers inside Russia, stating that such attacks would provide “a direct and obvious basis for our use of nuclear weapons.”

On June 20, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would respond “very harshly,” and “most likely catastrophically for Ukraine,” to any attempt to use a “dirty bomb.” Medvedev subsequently suggested that Russia could use tactical nuclear weapons, saying, “We have plenty of such weapons… I won’t even mention the consequences for future life and the environment.”

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin also warned that such transfers could lead to nuclear war. He said the Duma would discuss the matter and prepare an appeal to the parliaments of Great Britain and France. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the alleged plan to transfer a nuclear bomb to Kyiv as a “flagrant violation of international law,” adding: “This information will be taken into account by Russia during negotiations on Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Telegram channels have dismissed the claims as Russian provocations ahead of negotiations. Observers also note that Britain does not have standalone nuclear bombs; its deterrent consists of Trident II D5 missiles deployed on Vanguard-class submarines. France’s nuclear arsenal includes submarine-launched M51 missiles and ASMPA supersonic cruise missiles carried by Rafale fighter jets. Questions have also been raised about how Ukraine could deploy such weapons, as it does not operate long-range strategic bombers.

Some Ukrainian commentators have called the Russian intelligence claims a fabrication aimed at disrupting negotiations and increasing tensions between the US and Europe over continued support for Ukraine.

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed that London and Paris intend to disguise the transfer as a domestic Ukrainian development, allegedly using covert European components and technologies. Russian media also mentioned the possible use of a French TN75 small-size warhead from the M51.1 submarine-launched missile. Moscow said Germany declined to participate, while Russia’s Federation Council urged the UN Security Council and the IAEA to investigate the alleged plan.

In 2024, Putin warned that Moscow would prevent Ukraine from obtaining nuclear weapons, using “all available means of destruction” if necessary. Speculation about Ukraine’s nuclear status resurfaced in November 2024 after a New York Times report said unnamed US officials had “suggested” President Joe Biden could return nuclear weapons Ukraine had relinquished under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. Biden did not propose such a move, and the US does not possess the former Soviet warheads surrendered by Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that if Ukraine is not admitted to NATO, it may need alternative security guarantees, including nuclear capability – a suggestion sharply criticized by Moscow. Similar remarks were made in 2022 by then-MEP from Poland Radosław Sikorski, who argued the West could have the right to provide Ukraine with nuclear warheads after Russia violated the Budapest Memorandum. Volodin condemned the idea, accusing Sikorski of provoking a nuclear conflict in Europe, saying, “If his proposals are implemented, these countries, just like Europe, will cease to exist.”