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Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev wrote on Telegram on Sunday that provocative statements issued by leaders in Europe are contributing to heightened tensions in Ukraine amid the crisis. 

"The number of leading idiots in NATO countries is growing," he wrote.

The British Defense Minister's decision to move English training courses to Ukraine exposes instructors to potential attacks by Ukrainian Armed Forces, he said, noting that they will be fully aware that they have become legitimate targets to Russia, he said.

"One newly minted cretin - the British Minister of Defense - decided to transfer English training courses for Ukrainian soldiers to the territory of Ukraine itself," Medvedev underlined.

"That is turn your instructors into legal targets for our Armed Forces. Knowing full well that they will be mercilessly destroyed. And no longer as mercenaries, but precisely as British NATO specialists," he explained.

On another note, the German Defense Committee leader, which he labeled as "another fool," has issued calls for supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine, suggesting it will help Kiev target Russian territory legally. This stance raises the possibility of attacks on German missile factories in line with international law, Medvedev noted.

"Another fool - the head of the German Defense Committee with an unpronounceable surname - demands that Taurus missiles be immediately supplied to [Kiev's forces] so that the Kiev regime can strike at Russian territory to weaken the supply of our army," he underlined.

"They say this is in accordance with international law. Well, in this case, attacks on German factories where these missiles are made will be fully consistent with international law," the National Security Council's deputy chief threatened. 

Medvedev ended his commentary with the following, warning that the prospects for a third world war are not far ahead due to the foolishness of European leaders.

"Still, these idiots are actively pushing us towards a third world war..." he concludes. 

Read more: Russia to gain more regions in Ukraine: Medvedev

Looming WWIII?

On July 31, Medvedev said that Russia would be compelled to employ nuclear weapons if Kiev's counter-offensive was successful.

If the NATO-backed offensive led Ukraine to tear off a part of Russia, "then we would be forced to use a nuclear weapon according to the rules of a decree from the president of Russia. There would simply be no other option," he wrote on social media.

He further said that the enemies of Russia should "pray for our warriors' (success)," since that would ensure that nuclear war does not erupt.

He has repeatedly warned of the outbreak of nuclear war, most recently in May when he commented on Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's announcement that Poland wanted to host US nuclear weapons.

In February, he warned that Moscow would use all possible means to defend itself, including nukes.