The man who was President of Russia between Vladimir Putin's two stints has called for "execution without trial or investigation" to be introduced to deal with Ukrainian "saboteurs".
Dmitry Medvedev, who served as President of Russia from 2008 and 2012, launched a tirade in favour of the death penalty on his Telegram channel.
The pal of Putin served as his prime minister from 2012 until 2020, when he took up a role as deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council – meaning he has been one of the key men overseeing the faltering invasion of Ukraine.
READ MORE: Russian jets capable of dropping 'Killjoy nuke' spotted 1,100 miles away from UK
In his online rant, Medvedev said that "young foreign students" are operating as "saboteurs" on Russian soil, having "disabled several railway facilities" in the city of Ufa.
"That is [despite the fact] we took in these freaks and gave them the opportunity to get an education," he said. "In response, terrorist attacks and sabotage."
He also railed against Russian citizens "setting fire to military registration and enlistment offices and destroying other state facilities", reports of which have come from across the country following Putin's mobilisation of some 300,000 reservists.
Comparing their actions and those of foreign "saboteurs" to Nazis during World War Two, Medvedev fumed: "Thoroughly broken brains are now, alas, a common thing. And the question is not even about specific scumbags, foreign and 'our own'.
"You just need to remember that during the Great Patriotic War, no one was fussing with the saboteurs who, on the orders of the Nazi assassins, carried out subversive work in the rear."
He then called for these people to be executed on the spot.
He wrote: "There was only one verdict for such scoundrels – execution without trial or investigation. Right at the crime scene. Because if you are a traitor who committed such a crime in wartime, then you have no age, no nationality, or even the right to defend your life.
"In modern Russia there is a moratorium on the death penalty. Very humane. Unlike, by the way, from all the largest countries with nuclear weapons (USA, China, India).
"Although, I would like to emphasise once again, even within the framework of the current Constitution the moratorium on the death penalty can be overcome, if necessary, by changing the legal positions of the Constitutional Court of Russia.
"It is a matter of choosing means to protect the interests of our people, the state and society."
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
READ NEXT:
Ukraine worry as Putin's troops seen building 'unknown structure' at nuclear power plant
Putin prepares 900 bomb shelters in Moscow district as World War Three fears escalate
Putin sending 'human bait' to Ukraine with 'disposable soldiers sent to die', troops say
Source: Read Full Article
