Vladimir Putin Warns ‘Wrong To Hide’ Nuclear Threat Amid Ukraine War

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed there is a growing nuclear threat amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and said it was wrong to hide the rising menace. During his appearance at Russia’s annual human rights council meeting, Putin warned that attempting to hide such a growing threat is reprehensible.

The leader added that his country has not gone mad despite its invasion of Ukraine and that the Russian government is well aware of what nuclear weapons are, The Sun reported.

“We aren’t about to run around the world brandishing this weapon like a razor,” Putin said.

During his address, Putin emphasized that nuclear weapons were merely a deterrent factor in the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine and the aggressions from the west.

“As for the idea that Russia wouldn't use such weapons first under any circumstances, then it means we wouldn't be able to be the second to use them either — because the possibility to do so in case of an attack on our territory would be very limited,” the leader pointed out.

The entire concept of Russia’s nuclear doctrine can be surmised as “launch on warning”. This means they would only use nuclear weapons when faced with a similar attack, or when attacked and threatened with weapons that could destroy Russia’s existence.

"It means that if we come under strike, we strike back in response,” the leader added.

In response to criticisms of his nuclear weapon toting, Putin fired back and singled out former Prime Minister Liz Truss who brandished her readiness to utilize nuclear weapons during her campaigns. However, his remarks on nuclear weapon readiness were used to “scare the world”. Putin added that his nuclear arsenal was mainly for deterrence and not a factor “provoking an escalation of the conflict”.

Meanwhile, talk has been going around about Russia’s fleet of Tu-95 nuclear bombers hiding behind the smoke. Satellite imagery revealed that six of the said aircraft bombers were moved after Ukraine successfully downed two of the planes at Engels-2 air base, a well-known high-security Russian airbase in the Saratov region. The attack reportedly may have rattled Putin prompting him to whisk off six Tu-95 planes into an undisclosed location.