Russia warns it has the ‘might’ to put enemies ‘in their place’ after Biden calls Putin war criminal

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Russia has issued a harsh warning to the United States and its allies, threatening to put the West in its “place”.

The menacing words come from Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and current deputy secretary of the country’s Security Council. On Thursday, Mr Medvedev accused Western nations of a “disgusting” anti-Russian conspiracy.

“It will not work,” Mr Medvedev said. “Russia has the might to put all of our brash enemies in their place.”

Since the invasion of Ukraine began last month, the US and its allies have punished Russia with a wave of economic sanctions and public condemnation. On Wednesday, US president Joe Biden called the country’s leader, Vladimir Putin, a “war criminal.”

This set off a war of words with Moscow, where officials bristled at Mr Biden’s remark.

“We believe such rhetoric to be unacceptable and unforgivable on the part of the head of a state, whose bombs have killed hundreds of thousands of people around the world,” Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Mr Putin, told reporters on Wednesday.

Mr Medvedev’s warning of Russia’s “might” came just a day later.

Meanwhile, Russian bombs continue to claim lives in Ukraine. So far, the United Nations estimates that 780 civilians have died in the invasion, including 22 children – but the UN says the true numbers are probably much higher.

The casualties are also likely to increase as the world learns how many were killed in the bombing of a theatre in Mariupol, where more than 1,000 people were taking shelter.

“The plane dropped a bomb on a building where hundreds of peaceful Mariupol residents were hiding,” the Mariupol City Council said on Wednesday. “It is still impossible to estimate the scale of this horrific and inhumane act, because the city continues to shell residential areas.”

This week, President Biden promised an additional $800m in military aid to Ukraine, just hours after the embattled nation’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, spoke to Congress.

“He speaks for a people who have shown remarkable courage and strength in the face of brutal aggression,” Mr Biden said. “Courage and strength that’s inspired not just Ukrainians, but the entire world.”