Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday warned NATO not to provide fighter jets to Ukraine and maintain them in Poland, saying it would be tantamount to going to war against Russia directly, Reuters reported.

Former President of Russia Dmitry MedvedevPhoto: Loic VENANCE / AFP / Profimedia

“And whoever chooses to deliver (and repair) such equipment or weapons, as well as foreign mercenaries and military instructors, should be considered a legitimate military target,” he wrote on Telegram on Thursday.

According to him, this is not the only thing that stopped the “infantile Westerners” from supplying the “Kiev addicts” with airplanes and long-range weapons.

However, he does not expect them to last long, “because the temptation to destroy Russia is great,” said Medvedev, who is the current vice president of Russia’s Security Council.

Dmitry Medvedev was perceived as quite liberal during his tenure as prime minister and president.

However, now he is showing a tough position in the context of the war, observers estimate that with this attitude he is trying to strengthen his position in the power structure of the Russian Federation (Agerpres).