A nuclear conflict is a real scenario that should be prevented by all means, with the current situation being more tense than the one during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has said.

"There is no need to rush to safety right away, but however sad this may sound, this scenario is real," he said in an interview with Russian media when asked about the possibility of a nuclear war. "We must do our utmost to prevent it [the scenario] from happening, but the clock has accelerated and is now much closer to midnight (Doomsday Clock)," Medvedev said. He believes that "the situation is even more tense" than it was during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis: "There was no conflict between Russia and America then, but now there is."

He also pointed to the "impotence of the Western authorities, who keep saying that Russia only utters threats, but that it will never do anything."

"They are wrong. If it comes to the existence of our country, what other choice will the leadership and the head of state be left with? None. Unfortunately, this is a real threat, a direct and clear threat to the whole of humanity," Medvedev said.

He pointed out that humanity eventually used all the weapons it created.

"Do the Americans think that once they delivered a strike - by the way, unnecessary at the time (in August 1945) - on Japan, which was our common enemy, no one will ever draw this weapon out of the holster again? That's not the case. There can be many of motives," Medvedev said.

He also pointed to the risk of an unintentional start of a nuclear conflict.

"We must do everything to prevent this from happening. Unfortunately, all full-fledged instruments of control and nuclear deterrence have now been ruined, for which, in our opinion, the Western countries are to blame, because even the last treaty [New START], which we signed with U.S. President Barack Obama and which Russian President Vladimir Putin extended together with U.S. President Joe Biden, has now exhausted itself. The other treaties are also practically inoperative," Medvedev said.

Medvedev believes that it might be required to get to Kyiv for reaching the targets of the special military operation. He also warned during a media session with Russian reporters about the geographic borders of the special military operation that the conflict might not be limited to the current stage.

"Where to stop? I don’t know. I think that considering what I have said [about the necessity to create a safety cordon] we will have to work much and hard. Will it be Kiev? Yes, it should probably be Kyiv as well. If not now then some time later, probably during some other stage of this conflict’s development," Medvedev said.

The politician presented two arguments for the necessity to get to Kyiv, saying that, first, this is a Russian city and, second, the international threat to Russia’s existence comes from there. "Though Kyiv is a Russian city in its roots, it is managed by an international team of Russia’s opponents headed by the United States of America. All that formally perform functions there are figure-heads with neither conscience, nor fear for the future of their country, nor possibilities. All decisions are taken across the pond and in the NATO headquarters. This is absolutely obvious. This is why yes, it may be Kiev as well," he stressed.

Asked whether Ukraine should remain an independent state following the special military operation in general, Medvedev noted that "if as a result of all that is going on something remains of Ukraine such a state probably has chances to remain, though not very high."

"In any case this is not a question of today, of course, but it will be on the agenda some time later," he said. "I don’t know what will remain in this territorial entity, I cannot call it a country now, maybe the Lemberg region, with a center in the city of Lemberg if the Polish or some other regions undertake for it. But this is a complicated process, not only military, but also political. And not only military forces, not only the military, but people inhabiting those lands as well should play or say their word in this process," he concluded.

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