This article was originally published by Ethan Huff at Natural News. 

A former Russian president is warning that a strike by the United States on any Russian target will amount to the “start of world war.”

Dmitry Medvedev, who has been quite vocal lately about the West’s behavior towards Russia, announced to the world this week that World War III will be set in motion the moment the U.S. strikes Russia in any capacity.

The current Deputy Chair of Russia’s Security Council, Medvedev said this after Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski stated that the U.S. will conduct such a strike if Russia uses any kind of nuclear weaponry in Ukraine.

In a post on X, Medvedev made the suggestion that Sikorski “apparently has decided to scare his masters” with such a statement, unlike the U.S. which is “more cautious” than the Poles.

“Americans hitting our targets means starting a world war, and a Foreign Minister, even of a country like Poland, should understand that,” Medvedev added.

(Related: According to Medvedev, Ukraine is “a classic failed state.”)

Poland pushing for world war

Medvedev also addressed similar statements made last month by Polish President Andrzej Duda about Poland’s willingness to host U.S. nuclear weapons if offered the chance under NATO’s sharing mechanism.

If any such arrangement comes to fruition and results in a nuclear strike on Russia, “Warsaw won’t be left out and will surely get its share of radioactive ash,” Medvedev assured about the outcome.

Sikorski, responding to Medvedev’s warning, expressed skepticism about Russia ever even launching a nuclear strike in Ukraine.

“The Americans have told the Russians that if you explode a nuke, even if it doesn’t kill anybody, we will hit all your targets [positions] in Ukraine with conventional weapons – we’ll destroy all of them,” he stated, calling the warning a “credible threat.”

Sikorski added in statements to The Guardian (United Kingdom) that both China and India have similarly warned Russia against nuclear escalation in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Western backers, Sikorski continued, should allow the Zelensky regime to use its weapons to strike targets in Russian territory “apart from not using nuclear weapons, [Moscow] does not limit itself much.”

The European Union (EU), in Sikorski’s opinion, should not be afraid of escalating the war in Ukraine, nor should it impose any kind of limits on what it does. This has left Moscow guessing as to what the West’s next move will be.

Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to say that at no point has he considered using nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that Russia’s nuclear doctrine hinges upon only launching nukes “if something threatens the existence of our country.”

In short, Russia looks at nuclear weapons as a “farewell weapon,” meaning they are a weapon of last resort that will only be used if provoked to the point of possible Russian extinction.

Back in February at his annual address to the Federal Assembly, Putin warned the aggressive West that Russia’s nuclear arsenal is in a state of “complete readiness for guaranteed deployment.”

Earlier this month, Putin launched an exercise in the use of tactical nuclear weapons in the Southern Military District of Russia, which borders Ukraine. This exercise was meant to be a warning to the U.S. and its allies following escalatory rhetoric pushing towards WWIII.

“Look at the parallels between the lead-up to both world wars I and II and you will see that we are in WWIII,” one commenter at RT wrote.

“Turn off the power plants in Ukraine,” suggested another about how to avoid any further mass civilian casualties. “No need to harm the civilians.”

Things are escalating to the point of another world war. Find out more at WWIII.news.