His name is Dmitry Medvedev.

It’s one of those names you probably know you’ve heard before, but you can’t quite recall what he is (or was) known for. So allow me to remind you.

In 2008, Medvedev was a liberal, pro-Western politician who had worked his way up the ladder to the post of First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia under President Vladimir Putin. According to the Russian Constitution as it was written at the time, the president could only serve two consecutive terms, meaning that Putin had to step down — at least for the next four years. So he engineered the election of Medvedev to serve as nominal president from 2008 to 2012, while he (Putin) pulled the strings from behind the scenes as Prime Minister. Then, when Putin was again eligible to run for the presidency in 2012, he was easily elected, and Medvedev was appointed his Prime Minister.

That worked very nicely until 2020, when Medvedev suddenly stepped down as PM and landed in the very significant role of Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia . . . the Council’s Chairman being Putin himself.

And somewhere along the way, this seemingly West-leaning liberal managed to reinvent himself as the Kremlin’s most foul-mouthed, threat-spewing, war-mongering spokesperson.

To all appearances, the man seemed to have gone batshit crazy . . . and he’s only gotten worse over the past six years.

Medvedev’s name is not in the news every day; but when it is, it is most often in the context of threatening another country with hellfire and damnation for having committed some alleged transgression against Russian interests.

For example, last week he had this to say about Japan’s Prime Minister and the Kuril Islands, the ownership of which has been in dispute since the end of World War II:

“Japan’s PM Takaichi can prattle on all she likes about the Kuril Islands being ‘historically Japanese,’ but this chatter won’t change a thing. They were, are, and will remain Russian land. Anyone who fails to understand this will face the monstrous consequences of their delusion.” [Posted on @MedvedevRussiaE.]

That, of course, is the same argument Putin keeps repeating about Ukraine “historically” belonging to Russia. And just three days ago, on the subject of Putin’s continuing demands that Ukraine cede large portions of its sovereign territory to Russia, Medvedev reportedly said that “more and more territories that previously accidentally ended up with Ukraine will be returned to Russia. The valiant army of Russia confirms this.” [Russian News, August 22, 2026.]

“ . . . accidentally ended up . . .” What does that even mean?

And about that “valiant army” . . . has he not read the real reports of the casualties, the desertions, and the young men fleeing the country to avoid conscription?

But on he went, calling Ukraine’s representatives “aggressive cynical scoundrels,” “remnants of Nazi scum,” “drug addicts,” and “sell-out friends of Russophobia,” while referring to leaders of the collective West as “extremists, direct descendants and ideological heirs of fascists, as well as simply “stupid people.” [Id.]

*. *. *

It makes one wonder why Putin keeps him around. Is he the unofficial court jester? The distraction to draw attention from whatever is going on behind closed doors? The one who knows too many secrets to be cut loose? Or is all the bluster simply a front for a clever operator with his eye on another chance at the presidency?

I don’t know . . . but I will say that — whether he is indeed as crazy as he sounds, or is actually more shrewd than he seems — he is someone to keep an eye on as Putin’s hold on power fades with each day of the continuation of his Ukrainian misadventure.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/24/26