Russia's Former President Medvedev warns of nuclear war if Ukraine defeats Russia

Colombo (News 1st) - Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, has warned NATO that a Russian defeat in the Ukraine War could end in nuclear armageddon.

Medvedev, who is now deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, warned in a post on social media: "The defeat of a nuclear power in a conventional war may trigger a nuclear war. Nuclear powers have never lost major conflicts on which their fate depends." The Kremlin quickly voiced its support for Medvedev's views.

NATO leaders and other supporters of Ukraine are due to meet in Germany to discuss increasing military assistance to Ukraine, which has battled for nearly a year to turn back the invasion and scored a string of victories versus vastly larger Russian military forces.

Russia has the world's largest nuclear arsenal with an estimated 5,977 weapons, closely followed by the United States with 5,428. The UK, China, and France have smaller numbers of warheads. India and Pakistan have also tested nuclear devices, and Israel is believed by many military analysts to also possess nuclear capabilities.

Ukraine possessed hundreds of nuclear weapons when the Soviet Union broke up three decades ago, but chose to voluntarily dismantle its bombs.