Putin Put Russian Nuclear Forces On 'Special Alert' As Ukraine Tension Escalates
The EU has responded by applying even more sanction on Russia.
The West has poked the bear, and now nuclear forces are being put on the table.
Putin has ordered for Russian nuclear forces to be put on "special alert" on Sunday because of "aggressive statements" and heavy economic sanctions from the West in response to Russia's war on Ukraine.
The Russian President had hinted at the possibility of using nuclear weapons since his attack on Ukraine stirred a strong backlash from the West, but on Sunday, he finally ordered for nuclear deterrent forces to be put on "special regime of combat duty," reported BBC.
Since making the bold move, many NATO countries have condemned the Russian Kremlin for bringing nuclear forces into the mix, given the dangerous turn this conflict can take if any miscalculated steps are taken.
The U.S. has already condemned Russia for putting nuclear warfare on the table and called it an "unacceptable escalation."
A senior U.S. defence official warned that Putin is "potentially putting in play forces that, if there's a miscalculation, could make things much, much more dangerous," reported the Associated Press.
However, the U.K. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the BBC that Putin's latest orders are just a tactic to distract the world from "what's going on in Ukraine."
He wants to invoke fear and "remind the world" that Russia has nuclear weapons but that this doesn't necessarily mean they are ready to use them, said Wallace.
Since making his announcement, the E.U. has responded with more strict actions and prompted them to enforce a whole new wave of unprecedented sanctions against Russia.
The new measures against Russia include financing weapons for Ukraine to defend itself, a ban on Russian planes from entering the E.U. airspace and banning Russian news outlets from the E.U. like Sputnik and Russia Today.