Vladimir Putin's close ally has issued a warning to the west that 'World War 3' is coming.
Russian political scientist Sergey Mikheyev appeared on state-controlled TV to send a nuclear threat to the west.
Speaking on Russia's Channel 1, he said the west sending weapons to help Ukraine would escalate into WW3.
READ MORE: Vladimir Putin had cancer treatment in April and end is near, classified US report says
"The nuclear war is coming", he added after warning, "[the West] don't understand what happens next", reports Express.
Speaking live on Russian state TV, Mr Mikheyev said: "[The West] talk about how many more weapons are being sent and how frightening these weapons are.
"They don't understand what happens next.
"They all say 'terrible weapons are arriving over there, they keep coming and coming'.
"They promised not to use them a certain way.
"But most likely, they will do it anyway. And that will lead to WW3.
"Then we're being told 'calm down, comrades, everything will be alright'.
"Those guys will send weapons, and so will others.
"They will most likely try to use them. A common man asks, 'What happens next?'. Next comes WW3. The nuclear war is coming, that's all.
"There will be a nuclear war."
Referring to Mr Mikheyev's words, Channel 1 host also added: "I'm sick of them [the west].
"Reading about whatever they come up with next, like their new lists of sanctions.
"If you want war with us, then declare war. We will strike the decision-making centres, and those are not in Kyiv.
"We knew that our adversary is NATO, and all our weapons were developed not merely for Ukraine but for a confrontation with the NATO bloc.
"We could spit on whatever they send to Ukraine".
The claims came as US President Joe Biden announced that new weapons and aid package would be sent to Ukraine in the coming days.
In a statement, he said the US would send "more advanced rocket systems and munitions that will enable [Ukrainian soldiers] to more precisely strike key targets on the battlefield in Ukraine".
Long-range missiles are also believed to be part of the package that will reach Ukraine in the next few days.
The US had previously been unwilling to send these weapons out of fear that they could be used against targets in Russian territory, given their ability to launch missiles at a distance of over 45 miles away.
Ukraine, however, has assured the US and confirmed it would not use the long-range missiles for those purposes.
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter .
