Russia, on Thursday, warned the U.S. that Moscow had the might to put the United States in its place and accused the West of stoking a wild Russophobic plot to tear the country apart.

Dmitry Medvedev, who served as president from 2008 to 2012 and now deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, said the United States had stoked “disgusting” Russophobia in an attempt to force Russia to its knees.

“It will not work, Russia has the might to put all of our brash enemies in their place,” Medvedev said.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the United States and its European and Asian allies have slapped sanctions on Russian leaders, companies and businessmen, cutting off the country from much of the world economy.

President Vladimir Putin says that what he calls the special military operation in Ukraine was necessary because the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia and the country had to defend against the “genocide” of Russian-speaking people by Ukraine.

READ ALSO: ICJ orders Russia to suspend military operations in Ukraine ‘immediately’

Ukraine says it was fighting for its existence and that Putin’s claims of genocide are nonsense. The West also said claims that it wants to rip the nation apart are baseless.

According to Reuters, Russia added that in spite of sanctions it can fare well without what it casts as a deceitful and decadent West led by the United States.

It said its bid to forge ties with the West after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union was now over and that it would develop ties with other powers such as China.

The Star