Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Western powers this Thursday (29) about the “real” risk of a nuclear war if the conflict in Ukraine worsens, during his address to the nation to define the country’s priorities, just two weeks before the presidential elections in which he will face no competition.
Putin celebrated the advance of troops on the Ukrainian front and warned of the “tragic consequences” if any Western country sends soldiers to Kiev, after French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned the possibility earlier this week.
The countries “talked about the possibility of sending Western military contingents to Ukraine (…) but the consequences of these interventions would be truly tragic,” Putin said in front of the Russian political elite at the Gostiny Dvor, a congress palace near Red Square in Moscow.
“They would need to understand that we also have weapons capable of hitting targets on their territory. Everything they are inventing at the moment, in addition to scaring the world, is a real threat of a conflict in which nuclear weapons will be used, which means the destruction of civilization,” said the Russian president.
Military capabilities
The Kremlin leader made the speech in a much better scenario than last year, when Russian troops had staged humiliating retreats in the south and northeast of Ukraine after an unsuccessful attempt to take Kiev in early 2022.
But since then, the Ukrainian summer counteroffensive has failed and Kiev’s troops are currently on the defensive, short of ammunition and outnumbered and outgunned by Russian soldiers.
In mid-February, Moscow forces took the city of Avdiivka, on the eastern front, and continued the offensive in the region.
“The combat capabilities of the (Russian) Armed Forces have increased considerably. They are advancing steadily in different areas of the front”, celebrated Putin, before adding that “the absolute majority of the Russian people” support the military campaign in Ukraine.
He also praised “the flexibility and resilience” of the Russian economy which, despite the avalanche of Western sanctions, resists and focuses on the war machine and the Asian market.
Silence about Navalny
In speeches to the nation, Putin generally takes stock of the previous year and defines the country’s strategic guidelines.
As usual, this Thursday he took advantage of the platform to criticize the West, presented as the depraved enemy of the “traditional values” officially defended by the Kremlin.
“A family with many children must be the norm”, he stated, in a context of serious demographic problems in the country, accentuated by the attack on Ukraine and the flight abroad of hundreds of thousands of people.
Putin also said that the fight against poverty in Russia is one of his priorities and celebrated the reduction in alcohol consumption in the country.
The speech came on the eve of the funeral in Moscow of his main opponent, anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny, who died on February 16 in prison under somber circumstances.
Putin, who never utters Navalny’s name, has not yet commented on the death, which caused commotion inside and outside the country.
In the midst of the campaign for the March 15-17 presidential elections, Putin has increased his public appearances since the beginning of the year: he recently handed out medals at a ceremony and was seen aboard a Russian nuclear deterrence forces bomber.