Saturday, March 29, 2025
Washington DC, August 2, 2025 — In a high-stakes escalation, US President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of two nuclear-powered submarines to undisclosed “strategic zones” near Russian territory. The move comes in direct response to former Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev’s ominous reference to Russia’s ‘Dead Hand’ nuclear system.
The latest flare-up began when Trump posted on social media criticizing both Russia and India, claiming he didn’t care how the two nations behaved and mocked their “collapsing economies.” In retaliation, Medvedev fired back via Telegram, warning Trump to remember his favorite “walking dead” movies and invoked the fearsome Soviet-era automatic nuclear retaliation system known as ‘Dead Hand’.
Also known as “Perimeter,” the Dead Hand system is a Cold War-era semi-automated nuclear command system designed to ensure a retaliatory strike even if Russia’s leadership is decapitated in a first strike. It functions as a fail-safe deterrent, capable of launching nuclear missiles autonomously if certain parameters are triggered.
Trump responded sharply, calling Medvedev “a failed former president” and warning him to “watch his words.” “He’s stepping into very dangerous territory,” Trump wrote.
Escalating further, Trump issued a 10-day deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. He warned that failure to comply would lead to new tariffs on nations purchasing Russian oil, a move that could have widespread economic implications.
So far, the Kremlin has not officially responded to Trump’s ultimatum.
Medvedev is widely viewed as one of the Kremlin’s most hardline anti-Western figures. Several Western diplomats believe his remarks reflect deep-seated sentiments within Russia’s senior policy circles. His reference to the Dead Hand system, while not officially acknowledged by Moscow in recent years, is being interpreted as a veiled nuclear threat amid growing geopolitical hostility.
The US Navy’s submarine deployment signals a clear readiness to counter potential aggression, and analysts warn that such tit-for-tat nuclear posturing could dangerously raise the stakes in an already volatile global environment.
This confrontation underscores the increasingly unpredictable nature of US-Russia relations under Trump’s second term, where personal rivalries and digital bravado are now shaping nuclear policy narratives.
