Putin’s chilling new nuclear warning after claims ‘WW3 has already begun’
Vladimir Putin has pledged to strengthen Russia’s military and accelerate nuclear triad development as Ukrainian President Zelenskyy accused Putin of already triggering World War 3
A belligerent Putin showed no hint that he intends to reach any peace agreement(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Vladimir Putin has pledged to bolster his military and accelerate nuclear triad development in a menacing fresh warning to the West. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Putin of already sparking WW3, emphasising the only method to halt him was intensive military and economic pressure.
The leaders spoke the day before the fourth anniversary of the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, which has witnessed millions of dead and wounded.
A belligerent Putin showed no hint that he intends to reach any peace agreement, but instead suggested he is pursuing victory, declaring he wants a “win.”
He spoke as Ukrainian drone strikes caused massive flight disruption across Russia, shutting all four Moscow airports, and hitting crucial energy installations deep within his territory.
On World War Three, Zelenskyy told the BBC: “I believe that Putin has already started it. The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him… Russia wants to impose on the world a different way of life and change the lives people have chosen for themselves.”
Putin – in a chilling broadcast marking the annual Defender of the Fatherland Day, honouring Russian troops – declared: “The colossal strength of our army and our multinational society lies in the ability to win together for common goals.”
He pledged: “We will continue our extensive work to strengthen the [Russian] army and navy, taking into account the evolving international situation, drawing on combat experience gained during the special military operation [war against Ukraine].
“The development of the nuclear triad, which serves as a guarantee of Russia’s security and effectively ensures strategic deterrence and the balance of power in the world, remains an absolute priority.”
The triad consists of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, missiles fired from strategic submarines, and nuclear bombs transported by bomber aircraft.
He emphasised his dedication to cutting-edge weaponry at a time when NATO nations are already attempting to catch up with recent Russian developments.
“We will accelerate the development of advanced systems for the Armed Forces,” said Putin. “I am confident of one thing: this equipment will always be in safe hands.”
Putin claimed his current forces – who have struggled to achieve modest advances in Ukraine – “worthily continues the traditions of valour and honour bequeathed by their ancestors”. They were motivated to replicate “military exploits and great, immortal victories”, he claimed.
Today “during a special military operation [war against Ukraine], representatives of all the peoples of our vast country heroically defend Russia’s interests shoulder to shoulder”.
Zelenskyy stated: “There are different attitudes towards the Third World War. I believe that Putin started it. The question is, to what extent he can seize certain territories, and the question is how to stop him. Not because Russia wouldn’t win, but because Russia wants to impose its own worldview and change the lives of people, which they like and choose for themselves.
“Therefore, I believe and have always believed that Putin has already started this war. And we are stopping him from a large-scale, full-scale, Third World War. Today, we are a bulwark and are stopping Putin.”
As for his political future, Zelenskyy remains undecided on whether he’ll run for president again when elections take place. “I might run, and I might not,” he shared.
Overnight, Ukrainian drones launched deep strikes into Russian territory, leading to the temporary closure of a dozen Russian airports.
All Moscow airports – Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukov – were affected. An Aeroflot tourist flight from Phuket to Moscow was forced to make an emergency landing in Nizhny Novgorod due to a drone threat.
The approximately 400 passengers were kept on the plane for six hours.
Ukraine also executed a dramatic strike on a crucial oil artery in Tatarstan, targeting the Kalikino Pump Station owned by Transneft-Privkamye. Over a dozen loud explosions were reported, beginning around 2:30 am local time.
Flames and dark smoke were observed at the facility near Almetyevsk, in an explosion that could affect contentious Russian exports to Hungary via the Druzhba oil pipeline, and will undoubtedly disrupt internal supply routes across Putin’s domain. Russia continued its onslaught, claiming the lives of a 20 year old woman and a 45 year old man in Odesa, as well as two men, aged 33 and 45, in Zaporizhzhia.
