Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Western powers on Thursday (29) of the “real” risk of 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 “tragic consequences” should any Western country send soldiers to Kiev, after French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned the possibility earlier this week.
Countries “have talked about the possibility of sending Western military contingents to Ukraine (…) but the consequences of these interventions would be really tragic,” Putin said in front of the Russian political elite at the Gostiny Dvor, a congress palace near Red Square in Moscow.
“They need to understand that we also have weapons capable of hitting targets on their territory. Everything they are inventing at the moment, apart from 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.
“Don’t you understand that?” the president asked during a speech that lasted just over two hours.
- Military capabilities
The Kremlin leader made the speech against a much better backdrop than last year, when Russian troops had made humiliating retreats in southern and northeastern Ukraine after a failed attempt to take Kiev in early 2022.
But since then, the Ukrainian summer counter-offensive 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’s forces took the town of Avdiivka, on the eastern front, and continued their offensive in the region.
“The combat capabilities of the (Russian) Armed Forces have increased considerably. They are advancing steadily in various areas of the front,” celebrated Putin, before adding that “the absolute majority of the Russian people” support the military campaign in Ukraine.
The soldiers deployed in Ukraine “will not retreat, will not fail, will not betray,” promised the head of state at the end of his speech.
He also praised “the flexibility and resilience” of the Russian economy which, despite the avalanche of Western sanctions, is resisting and has focused on the war machine and the Asian market.
- Silence on Navalny
In his speeches to the nation, Putin usually takes stock of the previous year and defines the country’s strategic orientations.
On Thursday, he outlined a program for the country until 2030, when his next presidential term will end, which he is certain to win in the unopposed elections on March 15-17.
Putin also used the platform to criticize the West, which he presented as the depraved enemy of the “traditional values” officially defended by the Kremlin.
“A family with many children should be the norm,” he said, 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.
After a first part of the speech focused on the international situation, Putin went on to make several promises of social aid, particularly for veterans of the Armed Forces and their families, and announced investments in infrastructure, education and new technologies, among other sectors.
The speech took place 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 shady circumstances.
The opposition team reported on Thursday that the funeral services receive “calls from strangers threatening them” and are therefore refusing to transport the body to the Moscow church where the funeral will take place.
Putin, who never utters Navalny’s name, has yet to comment on the death, which has caused a stir both inside and outside the country.
For its part, the European Parliament accused him on Thursday in a resolution of being “criminally and politically responsible” for the death of his opponent, according to the text approved by 506 votes to 9.
bur/dbh/es/zm/fp/ic/aa *** Translated by DEFCONPress FYI Team ***