Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s Deputy Security Council Chairman, stated on Thursday that sanctions on Moscow might be seen as an act of aggression and a justification for war under some circumstances.

“I’d like to emphasize once more that such hostile measures can also qualify as an act of international aggression in certain circumstances. Even as a casus belli (war justification), “Medvedev added that Russia had the right to self-defense.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, formerly seen as a liberal, has emerged as one of the war’s most militant supporters, delivering a series of blistering denunciations of the West.