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Former Russian President Medvedev: Attemps to infringe upon Crimea could lead to WWIII
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said, according to agencies that Russia will be strengthening its border if Finland and Sweden join NATO.
A agencies quoted him as saying that any attempt to infringe upon Crimea by a NATO country would mean a declaration of war on Russia, which could lead to World War III.
Medvedev told the news website Argumenty i Fakty: “For us, Crimea is a part of Russia. And that means forever. Any attempt to encroach on Crimea is a declaration of war against our country.’
"And if this is done by a NATO member-state, this means conflict with the entire North Atlantic alliance; a World War Three. A complete catastrophe."
Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, also said that if Finland and Sweden joined NATO, Russia would strengthen its borders and would be "ready for retaliatory steps," and that could include the prospect of installing Iskander hypersonic missiles "on their threshold."
Dmitry Medvedev: Ukraine may not exist in two years
Medvedev was elected president in the 2008 election. He was regarded as more liberal than his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, who was also appointed prime minister during Medvedev's presidency.
Medvedev's top agenda as president was a wide-ranging modernisation programme, aiming at modernising Russia's economy and society, and lessening the country's reliance on oil and gas.
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