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Kremlin Is Trying to Spin Medvedev’s Nuclear Threats as “Personal Opinion,” Says ISW
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![Photo of Roman Kohanets]( "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
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The Kremlin is attempting to obscure Dmitry Medvedev’s role in its coordinated information campaigns targeting Western audiences, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on August 4. This follows US President Donald Trump’s public remarks on August 1, which prompted a defensive response from Moscow.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov asserted that Russian officials, including Medvedev, may express differing views on current events, but emphasized that “President Vladimir Putin alone determines the country’s foreign policy.” He further stated that “the president’s position is the main thing,” effectively seeking to separate Medvedev’s extreme rhetoric from official Kremlin policy.
However, ISW assessed that this attempt to distance Medvedev from decision-making does not align with the Kremlin’s established use of senior figures to relay calibrated messaging. “Medvedev himself does not drive Russian foreign policy decisions,” ISW noted, “but his statements are very likely part of a top-down, concerted Kremlin informational strategy.”
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According to ISW, the Kremlin is not merely tolerating but actively enabling Medvedev’s escalatory remarks, including frequent nuclear threats, which are broadcast widely through state-controlled media.
“Putin would be able to censor Medvedev’s statements if he chose to do so,” the think tank added, referencing the Kremlin’s tight control over the domestic information space, media, and internet.
By allowing Medvedev to make extreme anti-Western declarations, the Kremlin may be pursuing a dual messaging strategy: portraying Putin as more moderate by comparison, while simultaneously escalating psychological pressure on Western audiences.
“Medvedev’s aggressive statements serve a specific purpose for Putin,” ISW concluded, suggesting that they help shape the narrative space for harsher demands or threats from the Russian leader.
Peskov’s August 4 comments, ISW believes, are an effort to conceal this orchestrated propaganda function, particularly in light of renewed Western focus on Russian messaging following Trump’s remarks.
Earlier, it was reported that Dmitry Medvedev publicly mocked former US President Donald Trump’s proposal to impose 60% tariffs on Chinese goods unless China ceases its support for Russia’s war effort.
