Vladimir Putin's mouthpiece has suggested that NATO's newer members are now potential targets for Moscow, adding that they are at risk of possible revenge strikes with nuclear weapons if a conflict between Russia and the West should occur. Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev made the comments today, and was seemingly referring to Sweden and Finland, which were the last two states to join the treaty organisation, Reuters reports, citing the Russian news agency TASS.

But it has also been reported that Medvedev denounced statements that the Kremlin may allegedly attack Europe as "nothing but nonsense". "Talks that Russia can actually attack Europe are certainly nonsense… Vladimir Putin rightly called it a ‘scare for burghers,’ simply to maintain them feeling constantly tense," he said, speaking at the Knowledge First educational marathon. He added: "I hope that sooner or later more sensible forces will come to power there."

"By the way, there are also such forces in Germany, and we maintain relations with some of them, but there are not many of them yet," the former President then said, claiming he understands the nature of such "scare stories."

"It is driven by a desire to appease their own electorate, to satisfy their own elites, to explain their failures in the economic sphere blaming everything on Russia," Medvedev insisted.

Anton Gerashchenko, former advisor to Ukraine's Internal Affairs Minister, said on X that he made this claim eight minutes after saying: "Real denazificiation is needed, all over Europe at that".

Madvedev has been the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020, and proven himself to be one of Russia's most fervent anti-Westerners.

He was President between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Minister between 2012 and 2020.

It comes as experts say Russia has not abandoned its "maximalist" objectives in Ukraine.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported: "Kremlin mouthpieces, including Russian Security Council Secretary Dmitry Medvedev, have laid the rhetorical groundwork for Russia to eventually lay claim to most or all of Ukraine.

"Russian officials have also doubled down on their demands for regime change in Ukraine and rhetoric intended to undermine the legitimacy of the current Ukrainian government as recently as April 24.

"Both of these efforts in concert indicate that Putin retains his objective of controlling all of Ukraine, but is limited by Russia's inability to achieve this objective militarily."