After 'Dead Hand' Threat, Trump Moves Two Nuclear Submarines Near Russia

US President Donald Trump on Friday has ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the "appropriate regions" after comments made by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

"I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that," Trump said in a social media post. He added that he ordered the submarines as, "Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances."

Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, had written in a post on Telegram, "As for the talk about the 'dead economies' of India and Russia, and 'entering dangerous territory' - maybe he should recall his favorite movies about 'the walking dead,' and also remember how dangerous the so-called 'Dead Hand,' which doesn't even exist, could be."

The 'Dead Hand', also known as Perimeter is a Cold-War era automatic or semi-automatic nuclear weapons control system, that could launch a nuclear counterstrike even if the country's leadership had been wiped out.

Medvedev had responded to Trump's post where he hit out at India and Russia and said that he does not care how the two countries deal with each other, and that they "can take their dead economies down together". 

Adding to the blow, he had also personally targeted Medvedev, "Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let's keep it that way, and tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he's still President, to watch his words. He's entering very dangerous territory."

Moreover, Trump on Tuesday had warned Russia that it had "10 days from today" to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face tariffs, along with countries that buy its oil, reducing the ceasefire deadline drastically from his original 50 days.

Moscow, which has set out its own terms for peace in Ukraine, has shown no sign that it will comply with Trump's deadline.

Medvedev has emerged as one of the Kremlin's most outspoken anti-Western hawks since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022. Kremlin critics deride him as an irresponsible loose cannon, though some Western diplomats say his statements illustrate the thinking in senior Kremlin policy-making circles.