MOSCOW

Attempts to retake Crimea will be seen by Russia as a threat to the existence of the state which gives it the right to use any kind of weapon, including its nuclear arsenal, deputy head of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday.

Responding to questions of users of Russian social network VK, Medvedev said "without the help of NATO, the Kyiv regime would not have existed for a week."

"If we talk about some serious things related to the attempt to retake Crimea, I have said and written about it, it is quite obvious that this is the basis for the use of all means of protection, including those provided for by the fundamentals of the doctrine of nuclear deterrence, when the use of any kind of weapons threatens the existence of the state itself.

"And an attempt to break off part of the state means an encroachment on the existence of the state itself. It is quite obvious that there are grounds for the use of any type of weapon. I hope our friends across the ocean understand this," he said.

Asked to compare the Russian and US armies, Medvedev said it is only possible to understand that in the course of a military conflict.

He added that it is not correct to say that the US army is the strongest and the Russian is second-strongest force in the world, because if they clash, there will be no winner -- the collision will inevitably turn into a nuclear war, and both countries have capabilities to carry out a "guaranteed defeat," a strike, consequences of which are "terrible."

"I will say only one thing, which is already obvious. The Russian Federation is not at war with Ukraine, our country is at war with 3.6 million representatives of the NATO army. Yes, they are involved in a hybrid conflict, but they are still involved. And (Russia also fights) with a population of 800 million people, which supplies equipment, weapons and money to the Kyiv regime," he added.

Medvedev urged to "achieve all goals," including "demilitarization," suggesting "expulsion" of all foreign military forces from Ukraine and creating a "sanitary line" of 70-100 kilometers, which is a destruction range for many kinds of weapons.

"If this is not enough, make other decisions, nothing can be ruled out here. If we have go to Kyiv, then we have to go to Kyiv, if to Lviv, then to Lviv," he said.

Medvedev expects that the international bodies will change, the priority will be given to regional organizations.

He also predicts that attempts to reform the UN Security Council and to deprive permanent members of veto right will "lead to the end" of the organization.