UK decries ‘gangster threat’ after Russia’s Medvedev warns journalists

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, appeared to threaten senior staff at The Times newspaper. Britain has accused Russia of making a “gangster threat” after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issued a warning to journalists at The Times over the newspaper’s coverage of the assassination of Igor Kirillov, the head the Russian army’s chemical weapons division. Referencing the article, which called Kirillov’s killing a “discriminate strike against an aggressor”, he said “this logic” meant “NATO decision-makers” helping Kyiv “are participating in a hybrid or conventional war against Russia”. The threat comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets NATO chief Mark Rutte and key European leaders in Brussels to discuss Russia’s war ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Addressing reporters alongside Rutte, Zelenskyy called it a “very good opportunity to speak about security guarantees for Ukraine, for today and for tomorrow.” The talks come just over a month before Trump reclaims the United States presidency, having pledged to bring a swift end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which NATO says has left more than one million dead and wounded since Russia’s 2022 invasion.