Vladimir Putin issued a chilling warning that the “threat of nuclear war is increasing” – before bizarrely claiming Russia had not “gone mad” despite the brutal nine-month-long invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
Speaking with Russia’s Human Rights Council at the Kremlin on Wednesday, Mr Putin agreed that the likelihood of nuclear war was rising, but claimed Russia wouldn’t be the one to use nuclear weapons first.
“In terms of the threat of nuclear war, you are right, such threat is increasing,” he said, adding that it “would be wrong to hide it”.
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But he went on to insist that “under no circumstances” would Russia use the weapons first, and said Moscow also wouldn’t threaten other nations with its cache of nukes.
“We have not gone mad, we are aware of what nuclear weapons are,” he said.
“We aren’t about to run around the world brandishing this weapon like a razor.”
Mr Putin then claimed the use of nuclear weapons would only be in “retaliation”.
“Nevertheless, we have a strategy … namely, as a defence, we consider weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons – it is all based around the so-called retaliatory strike, that is, when we are struck, we strike in response,” he said.
He also added that while American nuclear weapons were located across Europe, Russia had not moved any of its own weapons into other nations, but said Moscow “will protect its allies with all the means at its disposal, if necessary”.
The leader also boasted that Russian nukes were “in a more advanced and modern form than those of any other nuclear country”.
“This is a deterrent factor that does not provoke the expansion of conflicts, but a deterrent, and I hope everyone understands this,” he said.
Mr Putin also made a rare acknowledgment that the war in Ukraine could be a “lengthy process” after what the Kremlin initially expected to last just days has now dragged on for nine months.
“As for the duration of the special military operation, well, of course, this can be a long process,” he said.
In response to Mr Putin’s comments, European Commission executive vice president Valdis Dombrovskis said the continent was “not giving in to Russia’s blackmail and manipulation”.
“We need to stay firm, to stay the course, continue to put pressure on aggressor country Russia and [the] EU is currently in a preparation of [its] ninth package of sanctions and we need to continue to provide all necessary support to Ukraine,” he said.
Mr Putin’s nuclear comments come after Russia lost significant ground recently in Ukraine, as well as being hit by a string of humiliating and mysterious drone strikes deep within Russian territory.
On Monday, footage emerged of blasts at the Engels-2 air base in the Saratov region, as well as the Dyagilevo military air base near Ryazan.
Three people were killed in the Ryazan attack and several injured, while two Tu-95 Bear heavy bombers were reportedly damaged at Engels.
A day later, a third drone strike hit a Russian airfield in Kursk, leading to dramatic scenes after an oil tanker caught fire in the blast.
According to the UK’s Defence Ministry, the explosions at the Russian air bases may be “some of the most strategically significant failures” since the war began.
“The causes of the explosions have not yet been confirmed. However, if Russia assesses the incidents were deliberate attacks, it will probably consider them as some of the most strategically significant failures of force protection since its invasion of Ukraine,” the ministry stated in a tweet.
“The sites are much deeper inside Russia than previous similar explosions: Engels is over 600km from Ukrainian-controlled territory.
“Engels is the main operating base of Russia’s Long Range Aviation (LRA) within western Russia and is home to more than 30 heavy bombers.
“These aircraft contribute to Russia’s nuclear deterrent and have also frequently been used to launch conventional cruise missiles at Ukraine.”
The ministry predicted that the LRA was likely to respond by “temporarily moving bombers to dispersal airfields” – and that the repercussions could be brutal.
“The Russian chain of command will probably seek to identify and impose several sanctions on Russian officers deemed responsible for allowing the incident,” it said.
