President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Wednesday that Russia was technically ready for nuclear war and that if the U.S. sent troops to Ukraine it would be considered a significant escalation of the war.

Putin, speaking just days before a March 15-17 election which is certain to give him another six years in power, said the nuclear war scenario was not “rushing” up and he saw no need for the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

“From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready,” Putin, 71, told Rossiya-1 television and news agency RIA in response to a question whether the country was really ready for a nuclear war.

Putin said the U.S. understood that if it deployed American troops on Russian territory - or to Ukraine - Russia would treat the move as an intervention.

    • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
      7·
      9 months ago

      Based on that map that Lukashenka had with the troop movements that included Odesa to Moldova back before the whole victory-in-a-few-days thing fell apart, I assume that the Moldovans were guilty of being in the general vicinity and not having a large military.

      Which I guess also “antagonizes the absolute fuck out of Russia”.