Vladimir Putin appeared to issue a nuclear threat during his major speech on Tuesday, where he warned of a "global conflict", an expert on Russian security has said.
In a lengthy state of the nation speech ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian president railed against the west and said it was seeking to turn the war into a "global conflict".
Throughout the rambling speech, Putin also appeared to indicate that a defeat in Ukraine would justify the use of nuclear weapons.
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Furthermore, in his long-delayed address, he justified the invasion of Ukraine by claiming western countries had threatened Russia, adding: “It’s they who have started the war. And we are using force to end it."
“The more long-range western systems are being delivered to Ukraine, the farther we will be forced to move the threat from our borders.”
Putin also used language in his speech that suggested a defeat in the neighbouring country would justify the use of nuclear force.
Keir Giles, an expert on security issues affecting Russia, explained to the Mirror that while Putin’s threats to use the weapons were more subtle than before, they were still present.
Giles said: "His roundabout language leaned on key phrases from Russian military doctrine to indirectly threaten nuclear consequences if Russia is defeated in Ukraine.
"He said that calls in the West for the 'strategic defeat of Russia' means they want to turn a local conflict into a global conflict.
"And that, he said, means Russia 'will respond accordingly because then we are talking about the existence of our country' - a key criterion in Russia's doctrine for when nuclear weapons can be used.
"It's a coded message intended once again to deter Western backers from providing the essential war-winning support to Ukraine that it needs to bring the war to a conclusion."
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