Putin-loyalist and senior Kremlin security official Dmitry Medvedev issued a death threat for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He called Zelensky “a thorn in all our sides,” and then he proceeded to compare him to a character from a book, The Master and Margarita.
Medvedev’s reference implied Zelensky’s death is already written; it’s just a matter of when. He boldly said, “I don’t want to discuss the fate of this character [Zelensky], because he has already become a thorn in all our sides. But I can only say one thing…. As one famous Kyiv resident said [in the book]: ‘Annushka has already spilled the oil.’ So that means he won’t keep his head.”
Annushka was killed by a tram in the book after spilling the oil.
🚨 REPORT: Dmitry Medvedev, asked about Volodymyr Zelensky’s fate, cited Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, saying “Annushka has already spilled the oil,” implying events are irreversible.
He claimed Zelensky’s fate is sealed and warned he will not escape punishment, using… pic.twitter.com/Ks0iabVB1g
— Frost (@FrostArticle) February 1, 2026
He also claimed Russia is winning the war, and he’d like to see that happen as soon as possible. According to their current plans, Russia wants to deploy NATO troops in Ukraine. He also emphasized preventing any more conflicts as part of the resolution.
Medvedev’s statement comes ahead of the next peace talks between the two countries. The US-backed trilateral Ukraine-Russia peace talk has been scheduled for Feb. 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi. The Kremlin and the US have not confirmed the dates yet.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has accused Russia of deliberately attacking buses transporting mine workers in Ukraine‘s central eastern Dnipropetrovsk region. The Russian Shahed drone attack killed at least 16 people.
There is an arrangement to hold a trilateral meeting at an appropriate level in the Emirates next week. February will be a period of quite intense foreign policy activity.
We expect the American side to be just as active, particularly when it comes to de-escalation measures –… pic.twitter.com/KXmPboXTWp
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 1, 2026
Another attack on a maternity hospital in Ukraine injured six people. The date of the attacks coincided with the announcement of peace talks by Donald Trump. Earlier, Trump blamed Zelensky for not making a deal during the previous peace talks. On the other hand, European allies agreed that Moscow is dragging the negotiations.
Ukraine’s Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal labelled the attack on mine workers as cynical and targeted. They are crucial for coal mining in cold weather. Apart from this, Russia has also attacked Ukraine’s power plants; as a result, Ukrainians are without electricity in temperatures of minus 20 degrees Celsius. Zelensky’s goal from the peace talks is to ensure “an outcome [that] brings us closer to a real and dignified end to the war.”
