Ukraine invasion: Putin puts nuclear forces on high alert
28-02-2022, 08:14

Font size: [ A+ ] / [ A- ]

Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia's military to put its deterrence forces, which include nuclear weapons, on "special alert".

He told defence chiefs it was because of "aggressive statements" by the West, amid widespread condemnation of his invasion of Ukraine.

The announcement does not mean Russia intends to use the weapons.

The US immediately condemned his decision calling it an "unacceptable escalation".

Last week, Mr Putin had warned that "whoever tries to hinder us" in Ukraine would see consequences "you have never seen in your history".

Those words were widely interpreted as signalling a threat to use nuclear weapons if the West stood in his way.

That warning became sharper on Sunday when he ordered the Russian defence minister and the chief of the military's general staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces on a "special regime of combat duty".

After Mr Putin's announcement, the EU announced an unprecedented new raft of sanctions and actions against Russia, including:

  • The financing of weapons for Ukraine
  • A total ban on Russian planes using EU airspace
  • Barring state media outlets Sputnik and Russia Today from EU territory.

These measures come on top of other sanctions already imposed by Western nations, which include asset freezes on major banks and wealthy individuals, including Mr Putin himself.

The US ambassador to the United Nations said Mr Putin's nuclear deterrent order showed he was escalating the Ukraine conflict in an unacceptable manner.

The White House said Russia had not been under threat from Nato at any point, while Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described Mr Putin's comments as "dangerous rhetoric".

Russia attacks Ukraine: More coverage

line

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian presidency says it has agreed to hold negotiations with Russia at a location on the border between Ukraine and Belarus.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that in a conversation with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, the Ukrainian side had agreed to meet the Russians without preconditions on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, near the Pripyat River.

Mr Zelensky said Mr Lukashenko had taken responsibility for ensuring that all planes, helicopters and missiles stationed on Belarusian territory remained on the ground during the Ukrainian delegation's travel, talks and return.

Neither Russia nor Belarus have issued any statements about potential talks.

Russia's defence ministry has now acknowledged that its military personnel have been killed and wounded in Ukraine, though it claims the losses are much less than those of Ukraine.

The UN said that by Saturday, at least 134 Ukrainian military had been killed. Ukraine, meanwhile, says there have been 4,300 casualties among Russian servicemen, but even Ukrainian officials say those figures are not clear.

Ukraine's human rights commissioner says 210 civilians have been killed.

Among the dead are children - one when a children's hospital was shelled in Kyiv and one in a Russian attack on a kindergarten that claimed six lives near the northern border at Okhtyrka.

Nine civilians have been killed in Kyiv, while 10 ethnic Greek Ukrainians died in air strikes on villages in the south-east, Greek officials say.

So far, the UN has recorded 64 confirmed civilian deaths and many more wounded, and it expects the true number to be much higher.

In other developments, as the Russian invasion entered its fourth day:

BBC

Comments: 394
#394   Ward
      
References:


Australian real money online pokies best payid pokies australia
Today, 19:38
#393   Connie
      
References:


Trustly Casino Einzahlung abgelehnt https://shareshortcuts.com/u/linepigeon5
Today, 18:48
#392   Timmy
      
References:


Neosurf live casino australia http://www.qilurexian.net
Today, 17:36
#391   Dusty
      
Auch wenn ihr im Casino online schnelle Auszahlungen nutzen wollt, solltet ihr verantwortungsvoll mit eurem Echtgeld
umgehen. Wenn ihr eure Gewinne vom Online Casino mit schnellster Auszahlung erhalten möchtet,
solltet ihr einige einfache, aber wichtige Grundregeln beachten. Eine Online Casino Klarna Sofort Auszahlung oder ein Casino mit Trustly Auszahlung setzt auf
Instant Banking. Ein Casino mit Paysafecard Auszahlung spricht vor
allem sicherheitsbewusste Spieler an. Ein Online Casino
mit Skrill Auszahlung oder eine Online Casino Neteller Auszahlung werden meist bevorzugt bearbeitet.


References: tokenandtonic.com
Today, 17:18
#390   Imogene
      
References:


Trustly Casino Gebühren https://skyscrapperwiki.site
Today, 14:33
#389   Gretchen
      
References:


Australian neosurf casinos codimd.camba.coop
Today, 12:59
#388   Liam
      
References:


Trustly Casino Probleme Top
Trustly Casinos
Today, 12:54
#387   Delila
      
References:


Unterschied klarna sofortüberweisung casino casino sofort
Today, 12:14
#386   Fay
      
References:


Instant withdrawal casino australia neosurf brand new neosurf casinos australia
Today, 11:46
#385   Ollie
      
References:


Online casino sofort banking http://dle1.31-6kc3bfr2e.рф/
Today, 11:45
#384   Candida
      
MonsterWin Casino is a 2025 offshore casino and sportsbook that accepts Neosurf deposits.

Millioner Casino is a pokies-first offshore casino from 2025 that
accepts Neosurf deposits. Verification takes up to 10 days once Realz
holds your documents, so upload ID and proof of address before the first withdrawal.


References: forum.inyopools.com
Today, 11:34
#383   Giuseppe
      
Angaben laut Anbieter, Stand Juli 2026 — prüfe
Lizenz und Bedingungen vor der Anmeldung. Avi und sein Team testen professionell Online Casino Anbieter
und teilen ihre persönlichen Erfahrungen. Aus dem Interesse an trustly casino Spielen und Poker entstand
ein Startup, das heute ein erfolgreiches Unternehmen im Glücksspiel-Bereich ist.
Hinter der Zahlungsmethode steckt ein seriöses Unternehmen, welches die
Ein- und Auszahlungen überprüfen lässt.
Today, 10:21
#382   Celeste
      
References:


Neosurf e-voucher casino australia neosurf gambling sites australia
Today, 05:58
#381   Jeana
      
References:


Neosurf safe casino australia notes.ip2i.in2p3.fr
Today, 03:17
#380   Shirleen
      
References:


Top rated neosurf casinos australia fast payout neosurf casino australia
Today, 00:36
#379   Jeanette
      
References:


Instant withdrawal casino australia neosurf sglpw.cn
Today, 00:30
#378   Ermelinda
      
References:


Sofortüberweisung auszahlung dauer casino novoline
casino sofortüberweisung
4 November 2026 17:43
#377   Shaunte
      
References:


Australian direct bank transfer casinos https://www.xiuwushidai.com/home.php?mod=space&uid=2964094
4 November 2026 16:14
#376   Camille
      
Durch die strengen Regeln für virtuelle
Automatenspiele und das Fehlen echter Online Casinos für deutsche Spieler wirken illegale
Angebote oft verlockend. Die Bundesländer haben zudem die
Möglichkeit Casino-Lizenzen für Roulette und Blackjack zu vergeben. Es gibt nicht DAS beste sofortüberweisung casino auszahlung und
DEN top Slot Anbieter für jedermann, da jeder Spieler andere Kriterien anlegt, die ihm beim
Spielen wichtig sind.
3 November 2026 11:47
#375   Flora
      
A little diligence at the start makes every bonus more enjoyable and more
valuable. Too many players skip the fine print and discover later
that their strategy did not account for game restrictions or time limits.
One effective strategy for getting the most out
of neosurf casino promo
codes australia
bonuses is to treat them as
a way to extend your playtime rather than a guaranteed path to profit.
2 November 2026 21:32
Add Comments

Name:*
E-Mail:
  Geo Keyboard  
 

Dear reader, guardian.ge welcomes your comments. Please express your views on topic and be respectful of others.

bold italic underline strike | align left centered align right | Ensert smilies insert linkInsert protected URL Choice the color | hidden text insert quote Convert selected text from transliteration to Cyrillic alphabet Insert spoiler

Code: *


Back1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 20Next