United States President, Donald Trump, has announced the deployment of two nuclear submarines in response to what he described as “highly provocative” statements made by Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s former president and current deputy chairman of the country’s Security Council.
The move, which Trump revealed in a post on Truth Social, is intended as a precautionary measure amid rising tensions between Washington and Moscow over the war in Ukraine.
“Based on the highly provocative statements of the former president of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions,” Trump stated on Friday.
He refrained from disclosing the submarines’ exact location, consistent with U.S. military protocol. It also remained unclear whether the vessels were nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed, or both.
Addressing reporters later that day, Trump emphasized the seriousness of the situation, saying, “A threat was made, and we didn’t think it was appropriate. So I have to be very careful. I do that on the basis of safety for our people. A threat was made by a former president of Russia. And we’re going to protect our people.”
His comments followed a series of heated exchanges with Medvedev on social media.
The Kremlin has not officially responded to Trump’s remarks, but the Russian stock market saw a sharp decline shortly afterward.
Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012, has been vocal in his opposition to Trump’s tough stance on the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine.
Earlier in the week, he criticized the U.S. president’s ultimatum demanding a ceasefire or face severe sanctions.
“Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war,” Medvedev posted on X, formerly Twitter. He previously dismissed Trump’s deadline threats as “theatrical,” stating that “Russia didn’t care.”
On Thursday, Medvedev issued a chilling warning on Telegram referencing the “dead hand”, widely interpreted as an allusion to Russia’s automatic nuclear retaliation system.
Trump fired back on the same day, calling Medvedev “the failed former president of Russia, who thinks he’s still president,” and cautioning him to “watch his words,” adding, “he’s entering very dangerous territory!”
The friction comes as Trump issued another firm deadline to current Russian President Vladimir Putin, giving him until August 8 to halt the war in Ukraine, a demand Moscow has so far ignored. Earlier deadlines and tariff threats on Russian exports have likewise failed to sway the Kremlin.
Medvedev, a staunch supporter of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine since 2022, has remained unapologetically confrontational in his rhetoric towards the West.