President Vladimir Putin said Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if there is a threat to its state, sovereignty or independence, expressing hope that the United States will refrain from actions that could trigger conflict nuclear.
Vladimir Putin’s statement came as a stark new warning to the West ahead of the first round of this week’s presidential election, which he is virtually certain to run for another six-year term. .
In an interview with Russian state television broadcast early Wednesday, Mr. Putin described U.S. President Joe Biden as a seasoned politician who fully understands the possible dangers of escalation, and said he did not think that the world was heading towards nuclear war.
At the same time, he stressed that Russian nuclear forces are fully ready and that “from a military-technical point of view, we are ready.”
Moscow ready to launch nuclear weapons
Mr. Putin said that, in accordance with the country’s security doctrine, Moscow is ready to use nuclear weapons in the event of a threat to “the existence of the Russian state, our sovereignty and independence.”_
The Russian leader has repeatedly discussed his desire to use nuclear weapons since launching the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The most recent threat was made in his State of the Union speech. nation last month, when he warned that if the West became more involved in the fighting in Ukraine, it would risk nuclear war.
Asked about the possibility of using nuclear weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine, Mr. Putin replied that it had never been necessary.
He also expressed confidence that Moscow would achieve its goals in Ukraine and issued a stark warning to Western allies, saying that “Nations that say they have no red lines towards Russia should realize that Russia will have no red lines towards them either“.
He left the door open for talks, but stressed that Russia would cling to its gains and demand firm guarantees from the West.
“It should not be a pause allowing the enemy to rearm, but a serious discussion involving security guarantees for the Russian Federation“, did he declare.
Vladimir Putin said the recent surge in Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russia was part of efforts to derail the three-day presidential election from March 15-17, and that he is expected to win hands down, thanks to the tight control he has exercised over the Russian political scene during his 24 years of rule.
Drone attacks
Russian authorities reported another major Ukrainian drone attack early Wednesday.
The defense ministry said air defenses shot down 58 drones in six regions. One of the drones hit an oil refinery in the Ryazan region, injuring at least two people and starting a fire. Another drone was shot down as it approached a refinery near St. Petersburg.
Ukraine, meanwhile, reported more Russian attacks early Wednesday.
A Russian strike killed two people and injured five others in the town of Myrnohrad in the eastern Donetsk region, about 30 kilometers from the front line, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin. Local rescuers managed to extract a 13-year-old girl from the rubble of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile.
A five-story building in the northern city of Sumy was hit by a drone launched from Russia overnight. Ten people were rescued from the rubble, eight of whom were injured, according to the regional administration.
In President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown in the central Dnipropetrovsk region, the death toll from a Russian missile attack the night before rose to four, Governor Serhii Lysak said. He added that 43 people were injured in Kryvyi Rih, including 12 children, the youngest aged two years and 11 months.
“Every day, our towns and villages suffer similar attacks. Every day Ukraine loses people because of the wickedness of the Russians” said Mr. Zelensky.