Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said that Russia has an "advanced and modern" form of nuclear weapons than any other nation, but he is not planning to use them for the Ukraine war.
What Happened: The Russian President, in a televised meeting, told loyalists that the war in Kyiv, set to enter its tenth month now, may not end sometime yet, Reuters reported.
This can be a long process, he said.
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Amid Western fears that Putin may go for nuclear weapons after a series of defeats in Kherson, the Russian president said, We havent gone mad, we realize what nuclear weapons are.
We have these means in more advanced and modern form than any other nuclear country But we arent about to run around the world brandishing this weapon like a razor.
In an interview published on Thursday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Funke media that the risk of Russia using nuclear weapons has decreased in response to international pressure, adding that Putin continued his undiminished brutality.
Meanwhile, the Russian leader also cleared the air about additional mobilization measures that had led to thousands of Russians searching for ways to harm them and booking flights out of the country.
He said about 150,000 of the 300,000 reservists called up in Sept. and Oct. had been deployed in Ukraine, 77,000 in combat units. The remaining 150,000 were still at training centers, he added.
Under these conditions, talk about any additional mobilization measures simply makes no sense, Putin said.
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