Putin issues nuclear warning as expert fears Russia is ready to launch 'sabotage' attacks
Vladimir Putin took questions from Western journalists in a move rarely witnessed since his invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Vladimir Putin has offered his clearest indication yet that Russia is preparing to hit back against NATO allies which allow Ukraine to use their weapons on Russia soil - and well as reaffirming his willingness to use nuclear weapons.
And one defence expert believes Moscow will look to arm groups such as the Houthis and Hezbollah, as well as backing “sabotage” operations in Europe, in a bid to sew chaos and break Western resolve.
Putin, who took yesterday took questions from international journalists on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in a highly unusual move, predicted the use of Western missiles and other kit to attack targets within his country could lead to “very serious problems”.
He warned: “That would mark their direct involvement in the war against the Russian Federation, and we reserve the right to act the same way.”
Both the United States and Germany recently authorised Ukraine to hit some targets on Russian soil with the long-range weapons they are supplying to Kyiv.
On Wednesday, a Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity, and a US senator said Ukraine has used US weapons to strike inside Russia under newly approved guidance from President Joe Biden which allows American arms to be used for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-biggest city.
Putin claimed using some Western-supplied weapons involves military personnel of those countries controlling the missiles and selecting targets, and cryptically suggested Moscow could take “asymmetrical” steps elsewhere in the world.
He explained: “If they consider it possible to deliver such weapons to the combat zone to launch strikes on our territory and create problems for us, why don’t we have the right to supply weapons of the same type to some regions of the world where they can be used to launch strikes on sensitive facilities of the countries that do it to Russia? We will think about it.”
Pressed on whether Russia could resort to using nuclear weapons, Putin said the conditions for doing so were clearly spelled out in Moscow's security doctrine.
He said: “For some reason, they believe in the West that Russia will never use it.
“Look at what is written there. If somebody’s actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible to use all means at our disposal.”
Even Russia's battlefield nuclear weapons are much more powerful than what the S used against Japan in World War II, Putin boasted.
Asked about Russian military losses, Putin said that no country would provide such information during hostilities but claimed without providing details that Ukraine's casualties are five times greater than Russia’s.
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He also said Ukraine has more than 1,300 Russian troops in captivity, while more than 6,400 Ukrainian soldiers are being held in Russia.
The claims could not be independently verified and some Western estimates put Russia’s losses much higher than Ukraine’s.
Asked what Putin’s “asymmetrical” comment meant in practice, Samuel Cranny-Evans, a Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told Express.co.uk: “They could mean sending missiles to a foreign actor that would use them against western assets. Think maybe the Houthis or Hezbollah, or militias in Syria that target US bases.
“It’s also likely that they will step up sabotage efforts against aid deliveries in Europe proper.”
Such an approach was known in the West as grey zone warfare, Mr Cranny-Evans said.
However, he continued: “The Russians think of it as active measures. It’s a combination of disinformation, backing alternative political/social parties, inciting domestic unrest, exploitation of migration as on the border with Poland.
“Sabotage is part of all that, they basically aim to shape western thinking through covert actions and the sabotage may stray into a lot of disruption to try and limit Ukraines access to western kit.”
As such it was unlikely to represent a breach of NATO’s Article 5, which requires all members of the alliance to come to the assistance of each other if attacked.
Mr Cranny-Evans said: “It probably wouldn’t: they’ve been running active measures since the 1970s in some form.”
