On Wednesday, 29 October, Russian politician Dmitry Miedwiec called Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken an imbecile and warned that the Poseidon anti‑torpedo drone could be a true weapon of mass destruction, adding that Belgium would “vanish from the map.”
Miedwiec blasts Belgian minister and warns of Poseidon drone
On Wednesday, 29 October, Dmitry Miedwiec publicly insulted Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken, calling him an “imbecile” and accusing the Poseidon underwater drone of being a real weapon of mass destruction. Politico reported that an X user suggested using Belgium as an experimental testbed for the drone; the tweet was removed for violating the platform’s rules. Miedwiec followed up, stating that “then Belgium will vanish from the map.”
Belgian minister defends and condemns Russia’s rhetoric
Francken replied on Instagram, asserting that the “Russian tyrant” continues to threaten and insult. He cited Moscow’s warnings about Western weapons supplied to Ukraine and the inclusion of Finland and Sweden in NATO, highlighting that NATO cannot be at war with the Russian Federation and does not wish to be in one. Francken stated that “the retaliation of our alliance has been unquestionable for 76 years” and that this was what he meant in a HUMO interview, adding a Latin quote: “Candida pax homines, trux decet ira feras,” meaning “gentle peace suits people, wild anger suits animals.”
Origins of the spat
Francken’s comments originated from an interview on Humo.be, where he said NATO would “crush Moscow if ever it attacks Brussels.” He described the likelihood of a direct attack as low and expressed greater concern over potential hybrid actions. Later on Facebook, he clarified that the quoted sentence had been taken out of context, a claim that led to accusations of incitement to war. Francken emphasized that the remarks were more complex than the simplified excerpts suggested.
