Russia will abandon the rules of war, President Vladimir Putin's security council deputy has said, raising fears of nuclear strikes after Ukraine humiliated Moscow with a devastating attack on an oil refinery.Suggesting the Kremlin's conflict could become even more brutal, Dmitry Medvedev - formerly Russian president and prime minister - said: 'It is time to openly declare that there are no longer, nor can there be, any rules regarding neo-Nazi Kyiv.'This is due to 'the enemy's massive terrorist attacks on our cities,' said Putin's loyal lieutenant, as he hinted at the use of nuclear weapons in a future World War Three.It comes after the Kremlin suffered an embarrassing blow this week when Ukraine launched a massive attack on a crucial oil refinery in Moscow. It was Ukraine's largest drone attack on the Russian capital in years, sparking fires in and around the Russian capital and forcing evacuations at the country's largest airport.Footage captured the moment a Ukrainian drone struck the oil depot in the Kapotnya area of the city, sending a huge fireball into the sky as debris rained down around it.Moscow residents complained of black rain falling from the sky following the attack, which authorities denied.There were also fresh strikes from Russia overnight which struck Kharkiv, a city in the northeast of the country, with rescuers working for hours to rescue civilians from the rubble. Dmitry Medvedev (left) said Russia should abandon the rules of war amid its conflict in Ukraine The lid of a Russian oil refinery at Kapotnya is blown into the air during a Ukrainian drone strikeRussia has been accused of killing ordinary Ukrainians on a daily basis amidst the war.Medvedev said: 'Only one thing must remain beyond the pale for us — the deliberate destruction of civilians.'I emphasise "deliberate," meaning clearly intentional.'Everything else is entirely permissible, no matter how much the degenerate from Bankova [meaning Zelensky] and his b****** European chorus line howl.'He continued: 'This applies, incidentally, to the Hague Conventions on the laws and customs of war as well.'They are no longer needed. Warfare has changed too much over the past century.'Back then, it was considered unacceptable to steal from or kill the heads of even enemy nations.'Moreover, missiles and drones have replaced the practice of dropping bombs from hot-air balloons. Thus, invoking the "rebus sic stantibus" clause is entirely appropriate here.'This clause is an international law doctrine allowing a state to seek release from treaty obligations when a fundamental and unforeseen change in circumstances has radically altered the basis on which the agreement was made.Medvedev, Putin's deputy on the Kremlin security council, did not specifically mention the Geneva Conventions - but implied Russia should not adhere to these, which include rules covering wounded and sick soldiers, prisoners of war, and protection of civilians. Zelensky said on Thursday heavy drone attacks on Russia were retaliation for a strike that damaged a historic monastery in Kyiv this week, and that 'Moscow will burn' if attacks continue. Pictured: Smoke rising following a Ukrainian strike on a Russian oil refinery Black smoke rises from the area of the Russian oil producer Gazprom Neft's Moscow Oil Refinery on the south-eastern outskirts of Moscow on June 18, 2026