I am ready for nuclear war if Nato troops enter Ukraine: Putin’s chilling words to West
VLADIMIR Putin threatened to unleash nuclear war if Nato troops enter Ukraine in a sabrerattling speech yesterday.
The president’s two-hour rant, beamed into cinemas and public spaces across Russia, accused the West of wanting to turn his country into a ‘dependent, waning, dying space’.
Putin, who is expected to be reelected in sham polls this month, warned that any attempt to deploy Nato forces in Ukraine would lead to ‘a conflict with the use of nuclear arms and consequently the destruction of civilisation’.
His remarks came just days after French leader Emmanuel Macron suggested that the future deployment of Western ground troops to support Volodymyr Zelensky’s regime should not be ‘ruled out’.
Mr Macron’s comments received a mixed response from Ukrainian allies, particularly from German chancellor Olaf Scholz, who appeared to suggest that British and French troops were helping to operate missile systems inside Ukraine. Mr Scholz denied that German soldiers would undertake any similar deployments.
Referencing the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in his Big Brother-style address across the nation, the Russian dictator
Destruction of civilisation
warned that there would be ‘tragic’ consequences for countries with boots on the ground.
Putin said: ‘We remember the fate of those who sent their troop contingents to the territory of our country.
‘Now the consequences for the potential invaders will be far more tragic. They should eventually realise that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory.’ He added: ‘Everything that the West comes up with creates the real threat of a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, and thus the destruction of civilisation.’
The leader has issued frequent reminders of Russia’s nuclear might since his brutal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
During yesterday’s speech, he discussed the new Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile, which has entered service, along with the Burevestnik nuclearpowered cruise missile and the Poseidon nuclear-armed underwater drone, which are both in test stages.
‘Our strategic nuclear forces are fully ready for operational use. Everything has been done, all the work has been completed,’ he told an assembled crowd of dignitaries.
Classified military files leaked this week appeared to show the Kremlin has a far lower threshold for authorising the use of nuclear weapons than previously suspected.
While Putin had claimed in the past the weapons would only be deployed if Russia faced an existential threat, the documents suggested they could be used to ‘stop aggression’ or prevent Russian forces from losing battles or territory.
Besides these threats, his address focused heavily on economic and social issues ahead of the presidential vote, set for March 15 to 17. In a reflection of his desire to militarise Russian society permanently, he suggested war veterans should form the new ‘elite’ of the country by joining a fresh training programme for top civil servants.
Putin also reaffirmed his claim that the West was bent on destroying Russia, saying ‘they need a dependent, waning, dying space in the place of Russia so that they can do whatever they want’. His latest threats come as the Kremlin is buoyed by gains on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Praising advances, which included the capture of the eastern town of Avdiivka in February, Putin said the military had ‘gained a huge combat experience’ and was ‘firmly holding the initiative and waging offensives in a number of sectors.’
He added: ‘The fulfilment of all our plans directly depends on our soldiers, our officers and volunteers… all servicemen who are fighting on the front now, from the courage and resolve of our comrades-in-arms who are defending the motherland.’
Calling for the safeguarding of ‘traditional family values’ in his speech, he said: ‘We see what is happening in some countries where moral norms and family institutions are deliberately being destroyed, pushing entire peoples to extinction and degeneration. We choose life.’
He did not specify how many Russian soldiers had died on the front line in Ukraine, but declared a minute’s silence in their honour.
Last month, the UK’s Ministry of Defence estimated that 350,000 Russian troops had been killed or injured during the conflict.
Meanwhile, prominent critics who could challenge Putin in the upcoming vote have either been imprisoned or are living abroad, and most independent media has been banned.
The leader faces only token rivalry from three candidates nominated by Kremlin-friendly parties represented in parliament. Russia’s best-known opposition leader Alexei Navalny, whose attempt to run against Putin in 2018 was rejected, died suddenly in an Arctic prison colony last month while serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges.
His funeral is set to take place today and it is unclear how many Russians will attempt to attend commemorations – or whether they will use the occasion to protest.
An ally of Mr Navalny claimed on Wednesday that funeral directors in Moscow had been told ‘not to collect Alexei’s body from the morgue, and not to take it anywhere’.
Leonid Volkov, the critic’s former campaign manager, also suggested the coffin would be carried by supporters to the church on the outskirts of Moscow where the funeral is due to take place.
Mr Navalny’s allies have also claimed they were unable to book a hall that would agree to accommodate mourners for a farewell ceremony after the funeral.
‘Defending the motherland’