The EU leadership are "lunatics". Russia will ensure that Ukraine "disappears from the map" in the near future. Welcome to another week as seen through the eyes of Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president and prime minister, who is serving as deputy head of the Russia's security council.
Medvedev has been on quite a political journey. Back in 2008, when he became Russia's president, he promised modernisation and liberalisation, and frequently spoke of his love for blogging and gadgets. Now, he is an enthusiastic participant in the macho posturing and genocidal rhetoric that have become the main currency of political discourse in wartime Moscow.
"I'm often asked why my Telegram posts are so harsh," wrote Medvedev recently. "Well, I'll answer: I hate them. They are bastards and degenerates. They want us, Russia, to die. And while I'm still alive, I will do everything to make them disappear." He did not specify whether the "they" in question referred to Ukrainians, western politicians, or both.
His physical transformation is as extraordinary as his ideological shift: a decade ago he was boyish, nerdy and seemed almost charmingly awkward wearing a suit and conducting the business of state. Now he looks jaded and puffy-faced, his eyes glazed over as he launches tirades against the west.
Medvedev's rebooted persona is an apparent attempt to retain political relevance in a climate that has darkened significantly in the decade since he left the presidency.
"He's trying to save himself from political oblivion by out-Heroding Herod," said Ekaterina Schulmann, a Russian political scientist at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin.
This story is from the August 05, 2022 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 05, 2022 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Power play The Solar Mamas who are lighting up Zanzibar
In a dimly lit corridor of a mudwalled house nestled among coconut trees, Sharifa Hussein stripped red and black cables, a screwdriver voltage tester balanced between her lips and rolls of cable lying by her feet.
Play it again and again
Spotify's Billions Club tracks the world's most popular songs, but many greats are nowhere to be found. What are the forces shaping pop's new canon?
David Lynch 1946 -2025
The maverick American surrealist film director sustained a successful mainstream career while also probing the bizarre, the radical and the experimental
Election fever grows ....but Trump is pulling the strings
The machinations of Elon Musk andthe returning US president loom large in minds of politicians and voters
International response America's allies hope for the best-but prepare for the worst
Western allies of the US are braced for the return of Donald Trump, still hoping for the best, but largely unprepared for what may prove to be a chaotic and disorientating worst.
Mood music
Listening to, or playing, the right song can soothe pain, lift depression and help treat conditions as diverse as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, PTSD and back pain. Neuroscientist and bestselling author Daniel Levitin gives his musical recommendations for better health, drawing on his experience of helping his friend, the legendary songwriter Joni Mitchell.
Gaza's devastation The terrible price exacted by Israel for 7 October attack
Israel began bombing Gaza on 7 October 2023 after Hamas crossed the border, killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage to Gaza.
North Koreans' capture sheds new light on war
The news was sensational.
Fragile truce An agreement is in place-if it will hold matter is another
The hours-long delay in implementing the Gaza ceasefire agreement last Sunday was not a good omen for a deal that many fear could be doomed to failure as it moves through its challenging three phases.
Why did LA's wildfires explode out of control?
Acombustible combination of factors laid the groundwork for disaster as the city struggled with catastrophic blazes
