U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the redeployment of two nuclear submarines closer to Russian territory, reacting sharply to what he called “highly provocative remarks” by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
In a statement posted Friday on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said the repositioning was a direct response to Medvedev’s recent warning. “Following the highly inflammatory statements this week, two nuclear submarines are being stationed at appropriate locations,” Trump wrote. “Words matter—and often lead to unexpected consequences. I hope this is not one of those cases.”
Medvedev, currently Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council under President Vladimir Putin, had earlier made a pointed reference to the “Dead Hand”—an automatic nuclear retaliation system developed by the Soviet Union during the 1980s. The system is designed to launch a counterstrike even if Russian command and leadership are wiped out in a first attack.
Speaking just a day before Trump’s announcement, Medvedev warned, “Trump should understand how dangerous the mythical Dead Hand could be.” The comment, widely seen as a thinly veiled threat, drew a strong reaction from the former U.S. president.
In recent weeks, Trump has engaged in an increasingly hostile rhetorical battle with Medvedev, often criticizing him over Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The war, now in its third year, has drawn global condemnation and intensified tensions between Washington and Moscow.
Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012 and later as prime minister until 2020, remains a close ally of Vladimir Putin. The two have long been viewed as alternating partners in Kremlin power-sharing arrangements.
With both Trump and Medvedev now invoking nuclear posturing in their verbal clashes, analysts warn that the temperature between the two nuclear-armed states continues to rise.
