Advertisement
Vladimir Putin
WorldRussia & Central Asia

Vladimir Putin threatens to ‘knock out the teeth’ of Russia’s opponents

  • Putin’s comments aimed at countries that he said were trying to steal parts of Russian territory
  • Tensions between Moscow and the West are high over a litany of issues

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
5
Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: AP
Associated Press
Russian President Vladimir Putin alleged that some of the country’s foreign foes dream about biting off pieces of the country’s vast territory, warning that Moscow would “knock their teeth out” if they ever try.
Advertisement

In strong remarks during a conference call with officials, the Russian president noted that foreign efforts to contain Russia date from centuries ago.

“In all times, the same thing happened: once Russia grew stronger, they found pretexts to hamper its development,” Putin said, alleging that some critics of Russia who he didn’t name have argued that it’s unfair for it to keep its vast natural riches all to itself.

“Everyone wants to bite us or bite something off us, but those who would like to do so should know that we would knock their teeth out so that they couldn’t bite,” the Russian leader said. “The development of our military is the guarantee of that.”

The Kremlin has made the modernisation of the country’s armed forces a top priority amid tensions in relations with the US and its allies. Russia-West ties have sunk to post-Cold War lows over Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, accusations of Russian meddling in elections, hacking attacks, and other issues.

Advertisement

Putin said that Western sanctions against Russia are continuing a long-time historic trend of containing a powerful rival, citing Russian Czar Alexander III who charged that “everyone is afraid of our vastness”.

Advertisement