Putin ally’s ominous threat of “nuclear” 9/11 ahead of attack’s anniversary

Dmitry Medvedev, chairman of Russia’s security council and a leading Kremlin propagandist, suggested that the United States could soon be subjected to an attack in the vein of September 11, 2001, but with nuclear strikes, only a day before the anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Medvedev, who previously served as president of Russia from 2008 to 2012 and prime minister from 2012 to 2020, has made numerous hostile comments toward the U.S. over the last year-and-a-half, as the country has provided extensive aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion. Among these comments, he has frequently invoked the specter of World War III and attacks with nuclear weapons, as a response to the U.S. continuing to oppose Russian interests.

On Sunday, he made a post to his official Telegram account, calling it “a few words on the eve of [9/11].” In it, he derided the U.S. for what he called its “arrogance and disgusting narcissism” among Western nations and its “universal arrogance on any issue.” Near the end of the post, he also made the ominous prediction that the U.S. would suffer “another 11/09/2001-style attack, but with a nuclear or biological component,” without suggesting outright that Russia would be the nation to launch the attack.

A translation of the extensive post was shared to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, by Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs.

“I don’t want to forebode, but [the U.S. will] see that at some point terrorists will launch another 11/09/2001-style attack, but with a nuclear or biological component,” Medvedev wrote, as translated by Geraschenko. “Or even worse: one of the leaders of nuclear countries will lose his nerve and make an emotional decision to use WMD. Especially since the nuclear club is constantly expanding and a significant part of it is not bound by any obligations.”

He continued: “And then that would be it. The end of the ball game. There will be only to collect money for a new monument in the neighborhood of Ground Zero. At best.”

Newsweek reached out to foreign defense experts via email for comment.

Last month, during an interview with the Russian state-run news agency Tass, Medvedev made similar comments, suggesting the U.S. and other Western nations were pushing the world closer to World War III.

“Frankly speaking, it would have definitely been better if they had heard them [the signals],” Medvedev said. “In any case, the world would not have to face the threat of World War III. In fact, this is where our opponents are actively pushing everyone.”