Russia's former president is calling for a 'maximum reward' bounty to be put on the heads of any NATO troops sent to Ukraine

BUSINESS INSIDER: Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev launched a scathing verbal attack against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Thursday, calling for a bounty on any Western troops that may enter Ukraine.

"And there can only be one rule for these overseas lice, who, unlike the unfortunate Ukrainians, were not forced to go to war: no prisoners taken!" wrote Medvedev, who is now deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, in a post on X.

"And for each NATO fighter killed, blown up, or burned, there must be a maximum reward," he added.

Medvedev railed against a hypothetical scenario that he posited himself on social media, in which NATO would initially deploy troops and special forces in Western Ukraine for "housekeeping and organizing; training," as he put it.

"Just totally brazen brutes who hold all the world for fools!" Medvedev wrote.

The Russian official said any NATO forces in Ukraine would be considered part of the "regular forces" fighting against Moscow.

"Which is why they can only be treated as enemies; and not just enemies, but as elite detachments, Hitler's SS punishers," he continued.

Medvedev's rhetoric hits various talking points typically used by the Kremlin. Moscow often leans on the nostalgia of the Soviet Union's fight against Nazi Germany in World War II, accusing Ukraine of being a Nazi-ruled state as a justification for its invasion.

Russia has also repeatedly stepped up talk of direct conflict with NATO, with Russian leader Vladimir Putin saying that it would inevitably lead to a third world war and nuclear catastrophe.

Key to that rhetoric has been Russia amplifying the idea that NATO may escalate tensions by sending troops to Ukraine. Putin, after all, has portrayed his invasion as a move to curb NATO aggression.

As for Medvedev, the former Russian president has been staunchly pro-war since the invasion began, broadcasting aggressive suggestions like firing a hypersonic missile at the Hague over an arrest warrant issued against Putin.

So far, NATO leaders say they have not officially deployed troops in Ukraine to fight. However, some — such as French President Emmanuel Macron — have hinted at such a possibility or even advocated for it.

"We don't have any plans of having any NATO combat troops inside Ukraine," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Wednesday. "There have been no requests for that."

There are some hints of NATO fielding a small presence in Ukraine. In early 2023, leaked classified documents from the Pentagon said that nearly 100 NATO operators were at one point sent to Ukraine, including 14 US special forces members.

But the same leaks have also been approached with caution by the global intelligence community, over concerns that the information inside the documents may be disingenuous or have been tampered with. US officials said that no American troops have been involved in combat in Ukraine.

NATO is also teaching Ukrainians to use the arsenal of Western-made weapons sent to Kyiv, and it's unclear if these special operations forces might have been deployed in Ukraine for training or in advisory roles.

On March 8, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said that NATO troops were "already present in Ukraine" but did not say how many were deployed or for what purpose.

"These countries know who they are, but I can't disclose them. Contrary to other politicians, I will not list those countries," Sikorski said.

Russia jumped on Sikorski's statement, with spokesperson Maria Zakharova saying there was "no point in denying it any longer" that NATO fields troops in Ukraine.

Yet what really set off Medvedev were Macron's recent comments on NATO possibly joining the fight. In the last two months, the French leader has repeated that his allies shouldn't rule out deploying troops in Ukraine.

"What we are doing is giving ourselves red lines," he said.

In response, Medvedev has written multiple social media posts — some in French — insulting Macron or criticizing him vehemently.

"But what a good thing, on the other hand! With so many coffins arriving in France from a foreign country, it would be impossible to cover up the mass deaths of professional soldiers," Medvedev wrote on March 20.

Medvedev's current tirade-prone posture seems a significant departure from when he was president of Russia from 2008 to 2012 when some observers had hoped he would be pro-West and more liberal.

Experts previously told Business Insider's Sinead Baker that the former leader may be trying to overcompensate with his rhetoric to curry favor with Putin.

"Medvedev is like one of the weaker guys in Tony Soprano's circles, who just has to go and do horrible things to appease the boss," Edward Lucas, senior advisor at the Center for European Policy Analysis, said.