The speaker of Russia’s lower house, Vyacheslav Volodin, warned that the United States should hesitate to freeze or freeze Russian assets abroad and should instead remember that Alaska previously belonged to Russia. “Let America always remember, there is a part of it [Russian] territory: Alaska,” Volodin said, according to Hromadske. “So when they start trying to take our resources abroad, before they do, let’s think: we also have something to give back.” Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Pyotr Tolstoy proposed holding a referendum in Alaska, Volodin said, according to RBC. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, took the threats even further and hinted at nuclear escalation. “The idea of ​​punishing a country with the largest nuclear capability is absurd and potentially poses a threat to the existence of humanity,” he said, referring to Russia, which maintains more nuclear warheads than any other country, according to the Associated Press. Medvedev suggested that the United States has not been held responsible for enough bloody encounters and territorial grabs, and that it would do well not to look at Russia before examining its own history. “The entire history of the US since the subjugation of the indigenous Indian population represents a series of bloody wars,” Medvedev said. “The USA and its worthless dogs should remember the words of the Bible: Judge not and you shall not be judged… lest one day the great day of His wrath come to their house.” The threats come as Russia has turned a new leaf in its war plans. Russian militant groups have begun to coordinate effectively, according to a British intelligence assessment released this week. And earlier this week the project seems to be paying off: Russia successfully captured Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. The Belarusian leader, Alexander Lukashenko, has also started his own rattle, suggesting that Europe is ripe for a “cleansing”. But Russian officials should not be too cocky. “This is not a serious person,” Steven Pifer, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, said of comments about Russia possibly targeting Alaska next. In recent hours, Russian forces have not been up to the task of fighting in Ukraine, necessarily. Some Russian soldiers are so drunk in the Zaporizhia regions—causing traffic accidents and weapons violations—that they are prohibited from buying alcohol. Some Russians worry that their commanders are selling off their sites to make a buck or two.