Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that the war in Ukraine could last for decades, with periods of hostilities interrupted by ceasefire agreements, Russia’s state news agency RIA reported Thursday.

Mr. Medvedev, who is currently deputy chairman of Russia’s influential national security council, made this assessment during a visit to Vietnam.

The former president, an ally of current president Vladimir Putin, is accustomed to taking a tough stance on war. Last month, he called the Ukrainian government a “contagion.”

“This conflict will last for a very long time, perhaps decades,” Medvedev said, according to RIA Novosti.

“As long as there is such a government there, we will have (…) three years of truce, two years of war and all over again,” he predicted, echoing Moscow’s claim that Kiev was ruled by the Nazis.

Alert in Kyiv

For now, however, there is no prospect of a truce in Ukraine: the military command in Kyiv on Friday morning reported an increased risk of Russian missile strikes, adding that air defense systems were activated.

Since October last year, Russian military forces have carried out hundreds of missile strikes on Ukrainian territory, in particular on infrastructure. In recent weeks, Ukrainian military authorities have said they have destroyed most of the missiles.

“Increased risk of missile strikes! Air defense is operating in this area, ”the Telegram channel of the Kyiv Regional Military Command reported.

Information about the victims or destruction of the Ukrainian authorities have not yet made public.

Source: RES-IPE