Former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, issued a stark warning to the United States on July 4, suggesting there are parallels between the American Civil War and the current U.S. political climate that hint at a "premonition of civil war."
In a recent Telegram message, Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, acknowledged the significance of Independence Day in America but then compared the American Civil War to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
He also suggested that the reluctance to discuss the Civil War in American history stems from uncomfortable parallels with the present-day political climate in the U.S.
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"It has become clear to many that the experience of long-term confrontation between the Union and the slave-owning Confederacy greatly resembles the Ukrainian conflict," he said.
Medvedev, 58, has made headlines throughout the war in Ukraine for regular social media rants that have ranged from calls for nuclear strikes on NATO members to suggestions that Moscow has no choice but to eliminate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In his latest message, he argued that the historical conflict between the Union and the Confederacy mirrors the current situation between Russia and Ukraine. He compares Moscow to the North, which stood for "equality and liberty," while the South, like Kyiv, upheld "racism."
Medvedev further criticized Western involvement in both conflicts, likening the support of England and France for the Confederacy to the present-day support of Ukraine by Western nations, including the U.S.
"The foreign bastards—same as today, England and France—brazenly intervened, wishing for the South to win. They supported slave-owners then in the same way they support Nazi Kyiv today, together with the present-day US," he says.
Medvedev's comments follow further commitments from the U.S. and its allies to finance Ukraine's resistance against Russia's invasion. At the G7 last week, member nations agreed to use frozen Russian assets to finance a $50 billion loan to Ukraine.
'Putin, like Lincoln'
His message also includes a provocative comparison between Putin and Abraham Lincoln. Medvedev noted that some American media have drawn parallels between Putin's actions in Ukraine and Lincoln's efforts to preserve the Union.
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"For Washington, there are many unpleasant allusions within the political and diplomatic aspects of the special military operation and the Civil War of the 19th century, including its outcomes," he says, contending that these comparisons are uncomfortable for the U.S. political establishment, especially considering Lincoln's eventual victory and revered status in history.
The Russian politician, whose posts on Telegram have been shown to coincide with deliveries of wine to his house, also claimed the White House's propaganda is desperately trying to find historical parallels with figures like Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, but he dismissed these efforts as senseless.
He calls U.S. President Joe Biden "an old geezer with his mouth half-open, who can hardly stand upright," suggesting that his cognitive abilities are declining and that he might end up ruling from a wheelchair due to poor health.
"The demented old man is no FDR, which is why the public winces in disbelief."
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Regarding Zelensky, he says the White House is trying to liken Ukraine to Britain during the Blitz of 1940-41. "They proclaim the little man with red, shifty eyes wearing a shabby khaki T-shirt the new Churchill."
In a final jab, Medvedev called America "a country with a short history" and highlighted the Civil War, which marked the victory over slavery, as one of its brightest pages. He again compared the Russian-Ukraine conflict to the events of the 19th century.
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"This is the angle for the overseas public to look at what is happening here: in essence, a civil war among the same people, in which the majority are forced to defend their independence with weapons, fighting against the new Nazis who are once again supported by corrupt Europe and the American military-industrial complex."
Medvedev finished his post by comparing the reunification of the Union after the Civil War with what he believes could be "the revival of Great Russia."
"Hey, you Americans! To paraphrase that Trump of yours, Make Russia Great Again!"
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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