ISW: Donald Trump's decision to help Ukraine angered Medvedev

The Kremlin continues to use the aggressive rhetoric of Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, to undermine Western military assistance to Ukraine. At the same time, his statements are likely part of the Kremlin's planned information efforts and are coordinated “from above“. This opinion is expressed in their report by analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Focus writes.

On July 8, Medvedev responded on social networks in Russian and English to US President Donald Trump's statements on the resumption of arms supplies to Ukraine. He said that in response Russia should “continue to pursue the goals of the SVO“, “work for victory“ and "to return the land“, apparently referring to new annexations of Ukrainian territories to achieve Russia's military goals.

ISW emphasizes that these statements by Medvedev are aimed at portraying Western military aid to Ukraine as useless in the face of Russia's supposedly inevitable victory. However, analysts emphasize that Western countries should not dismiss all of Medvedev's statements as hyperbolic exaggerations or marginal judgments. ISW experts believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin often uses Medvedev to amplify rhetoric aimed at inciting panic and fear among Western political leaders in order to prevent further assistance to Ukraine.

''The statements by the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Council are part of a broader Kremlin campaign aimed at trying to control decision-making in the West'', emphasizes ISW. They believe that Medvedev's provocative statements and threats are very likely part of a coordinated Kremlin information strategy controlled "from above".

''After all, Putin can censor Medvedev's statements if he wants to - given the Kremlin's control over the Russian information space, the Internet and the media, as well as the strict coordination of official statements. So the fact that Medvedev continues to use his platforms for aggressive statements aimed directly at the United States and Europe shows that the Kremlin approves and encourages these efforts. Medvedev's aggressive statements serve a very specific purpose for Putin, as they encourage the West to view Putin's own statements as more moderate and rational compared to what Medvedev says. So in this way Putin gets more space to make broader demands or bigger threats'', the institute summarizes.