Putin has ordered the defense minister and army chief to put nuclear deterrence forces under a ‘special regime of combat duty’.
Russia Ukraine crisis: President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian nuclear deterrent forces on high alert as tensions with the West escalate dramatically over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Putin said on Sunday that major NATO powers had made “offensive statements” imposing tough financial sanctions against Russia and itself.
In a meeting with his top officials, the president ordered the Defense Minister and the Chief of the Army’s General Staff to place nuclear deterrent forces under a “special regime of combat duty.”
This order has created a threat that the tension could lead to the use of nuclear weapons.
The Kremlin said it has successfully tested hypersonic and cruise missiles at sea and land targets. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Putin’s ally, also inspected the military exercise.
“This is another step by President Vladimir Putin to show that he is still a very powerful man,” Jabbari said.
The United States responded to Putin’s announcement, accusing the Russian leader of making threats to justify “further aggression”.
“It is a pattern that we have seen from President Putin during this conflict, who is creating threats that don’t exist to justify further aggression.” White House press secretary said
US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield strongly condemned Putin’s move.
Linda said “It means that President Putin is leading this war in a way that is completely unacceptable.”
Amid worrying developments, the Ukrainian President’s Office said a delegation would meet Russian officials near the Belarusian border.
Moscow has faced international condemnation as it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. Russian troops faced strong resistance when attempting to enter Ukraine’s larger cities, as Ukrainians volunteered to help defend the country, taking guns delivered by the authorities and preparing firebombs to fight Russian forces. helped in
Putin has claimed that the West failed to take seriously Russia’s security concerns regarding NATO, the western military alliance in which Ukraine aspires to join.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced Friday that the alliance was deploying thousands of battle-ready troops to Ukraine’s neighbors, as well as continuing to send weapons to Ukraine, including air defenses, after Russia’s attack.
Stoltenberg said that NATO allies and the European Union had already imposed significant sanctions and other partners around the world had followed suit.
Putin sent troops into Ukraine after weeks of denying that he intended to do so, all while building up a force of about 200,000 troops along the country’s borders.
He also expressed displeasure about Ukraine’s right to exist as an independent state.
Russia on Thursday took control of the former Chernobyl nuclear plant, where radioactivity from the worst nuclear disaster in history, 36 years ago is still leaking.
Radiation levels in the Chernobyl exclusion zone soared, with Ukrainian officials warning Friday that the seizure of the nuclear plant by attacking Russian troops could have “terrible consequences”.