The Russian Information Agency quoted former President Dmitry Medvedev as saying that the war in Ukraine could last for decades and witness long periods of fighting interspersed with armistices, according to Reuters.
The Russian agency added that Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian Security Council and a staunch ally of President Vladimir Putin, made his remarks during a visit to Vietnam.
Medvedev often makes sharp comments, and last month he described the Ukrainian authorities as an "infection".
"This conflict will continue for a very long time, probably decades," Medvedev was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency.
He continued, "As long as there is such a power, there will be, for example, three years of armistice, two years of conflict, and then everything will repeat," describing Ukraine as a "Nazi state."
Medvedev had said in January that a nuclear war might break out if Moscow was defeated.
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