I always thought i would be able to watch the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series before the world ends.. Oh well.......
Russia's Putin puts nuclear forces on high alert
In this video grab taken from a handout footage made available on Feb 24, 2022 on the official website of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin addresses the nation at the Kremlin in Moscow. (Image: AFP/Kremlin.RU/Handout)
27 Feb 2022 09:33PM (Updated: 27 Feb 2022 11:14PM)
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his military command to put Russia's deterrence forces - a reference to units which include nuclear arms - on high alert, citing aggressive statements by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) leaders and economic sanctions against Moscow.
"As you can see, not only do Western countries take unfriendly measures against our country in the economic dimension - I mean the illegal sanctions that everyone knows about very well - but also the top officials of leading NATO countries allow themselves to make aggressive statements with regards to our country," Putin said on state television.
International tensions are already soaring over Russia's
invasion of Ukraine, and Putin's order will cause further alarm.
"I order the defence minister and the chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces to put the deterrence forces of the Russian army into a special mode of combat service," Putin said in a televised address.
Defence Minister Shoigu replied: "Affirmative."
Ukraine's foreign minister later said that Kyiv would not buckle at talks with Russia
over its invasion, and accused Putin of seeking to increase "pressure" by ordering his nuclear forces on high alert.
"We will not surrender, we will not capitulate, we will not give up a single inch of our territory," Dmytro Kuleba said at a press conference broadcast online.
The Russian president on Thursday ordered the invasion of Ukraine, sending shockwaves around the world.
Russian ground forces have pressed into Ukraine from the north, east and south but have encountered fierce resistance from Ukrainian troops, the intensity of which has likely surprised Moscow, according to Western sources.
Ukrainian authorities describe some Russian troops as demoralised and exhausted, claiming that dozens have surrendered.
"TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE"
The United States on Sunday said Putin's nuclear forces alert represents a "totally unacceptable" escalation of the invasion of Ukraine and accused the Russian leader of fabricating threats to justify "further aggression".
"This is a pattern that we've seen from President Putin through the course of this conflict, which is manufacturing threats that don't exist in order to justify further aggression," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on ABC when asked about the announcement from Moscow.
The American ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said she condemned Putin's step in the strongest terms.
"It means that President Putin is continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable," Thomas-Greenfield said in an interview on CBS.
Moscow has the world's second-largest arsenal of nuclear weapons and a huge cache of ballistic missiles which form the backbone of the country's deterrence forces.
Putin said he was putting Russia's nuclear forces on high alert because, he said, Western countries are taking "unfriendly" steps against his country.
The American ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said she condemned Putin's step in the strongest terms.
"It means that President Putin is continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable," Thomas-Greenfield said in an interview on CBS.
Moscow has the world's second-largest arsenal of nuclear weapons and a huge cache of ballistic missiles which form the backbone of the country's deterrence forces.
Putin said he was putting Russia's nuclear forces on high alert because, he said, Western countries are taking "unfriendly" steps against his country.