Moscow [Russia], March 24 (ANI): Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned that any Ukrainian attempt to capture Crimea could be met with a nuclear response by Moscow, Russia Today reported.

He underlined that Kyiv's assertions that it could grab the peninsula are merely empty threats.

Asserting that "this is propaganda and should be viewed that way, during the war it always occurs," Medvedev rejected the probability that Ukraine will assault Crimea, in remarks to the media on Friday.

Medvedev, who is currently the constable head of Russia's Security Council, said, "If we talk about some sort of serious offensive that is associated with an attempt to retake Crimea, it is quite obvious that this is the basis for the use of all means of protection, including those provided for by fundamentals of Doctrine of Nuclear Deterrence when the use of any types of weapons against Russia threatens the existence of the state itself," Russia Today reported.

Following a coup in Kyiv supported by the West, Crimea joined Russia in 2014 after a resounding majority of the local population voted in favour of the change. Kyiv has frequently promised to use force to reclaim the peninsula, but Ukraine and its Western backers have refused to acknowledge the move.

Medvedev emphasised that any attempt to sever a piece of Russia would be viewed as a threat to the survival of the country. The former president said, "Therefore, draw your own conclusions. There are absolutely grounds for using any weapon here. Absolutely any kind. And I hope our 'friends' across the ocean understand this."He further emphasised that the likelihood of a nuclear exchange has not diminished but has, rather, increased. Medvedev warned that "the horsemen of the apocalypse continue to march," adding, "It doesn't mean that this will happen, but the closer the world creeps towards a nuclear holocaust with every day that Western weapons are sent to Ukraine."According to Russia Today, the former Russian president further asserted that the Kyiv administration "would not have survived even a week" in the face of Russian forces without military support and "direct monetary injections" from NATO. The issue becomes more challenging the more weapons there are available, Medvedev continued.

Despite the fact that Russia's General Staff is doing its own analysis and formulating plans for a defence, he claimed it is "clear" Kyiv is putting together a fresh offensive. Medvedev maintained that while Moscow would prefer a peaceful conclusion to any issue, the West is uninterested in doing so, Russia Today reported. (ANI)