Ukraine war: Russia 'boosting production of powerful weapons' and Viktor Bout heaps praise on Putin

Russia is producing more destructive weapons to counter western countries that support Kyiv, said Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday.

"Our enemy is entrenched … in Europe, North America, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and a whole number of other places that have sworn allegiance to today’s Nazis," the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council wrote on Telegram. 

"That is why we are boosting the production of the most powerful means of destruction, including those based on new principles," he said.

Russian officials often refer to Ukraine's leadership as "Nazis", using this as a justification for their invasion. This claim that Ukraine is ruled by the far-right has been dismissed as a "plain and simple lie" by experts. 

Medvedev said the weapons would be based on "new physical principles", without detailing exactly what these were. 

AFP reported that this could be in reference to a new generation of hypersonic weapons that Moscow has been developing in recent years. 

Such weapons fly at exceptionally high speeds, making them extremely difficult for defensive systems to intercept. 

Serving as the President of Russia between 2008 and 2012, Medvedev has become one of the most vocal critics of the West within the Russian government, slamming western sanctions and alleged Russophobia. 

The spectre of nuclear war has returned since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, with Russian president Vladimir Putin discussing how Russia would use nuclear weapons as a "means of defence". 

Russian setbacks on the battlefield in recent months have raised fears that Moscow is considering using such weapons to reverse its fortunes. 

The US State Department condemned Putin's comments, saying "any discussion, however vague, of nuclear weapons is absolutely