In a dramatic move fueled by rising tensions with Moscow, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he has ordered two American nuclear submarines to relocate to “appropriate regions.” The decision, Trump claimed, comes in response to what he described as “highly provocative statements” from Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council and former Russian President.

“Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia… I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned… just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,” Trump posted on Truth Social. He did not elaborate on the exact nature of Medvedev’s remarks.

Warning that “words are very important and can often lead to unintended consequences,” Trump expressed hope that this situation would not spiral further.

The verbal escalation follows Medvedev’s series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram. On July 28, he warned that Trump’s comments about shortening the timeline for the Ukraine conflict and issuing threats toward Russia could be seen as a step toward war. Days later, on July 31, Medvedev mocked Trump’s criticism of the Russian and Indian economies, referring to them as “dead,” and cryptically referenced the Cold War-era Soviet “Dead Hand” nuclear retaliation system.

“Let him remember his favorite movies about the ‘walking dead,’ and also how dangerous a ‘dead hand’ can be,” Medvedev wrote, accompanied by a laughing emoji.

The “Dead Hand” or “Perimeter” was a Cold War-era automatic system designed to launch a full-scale nuclear retaliation in the event of a decapitation strike on Soviet leadership.

Trump had earlier derided the economies of Russia as “dead” and took aim at Medvedev personally in his Truth Social posts, deepening the rhetorical standoff.