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Russia ready to use nukes if sovereignty threatened, Putin warns ahead of near-certain election victory
Russian President Vladimir Putin during an interview with Rossiya Segodnya International Media Group Director General Dmitry Kiselev in Moscow, Russia, March 12, 2024

RUSSIA is ready to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or independence is threatened, President Vladimir Putin said today, issuing another blunt warning just days ahead of an election in which he’s all but certain to secure another six-year term.

The Russian leader has repeatedly talked about his readiness to use nuclear weapons since invading Ukraine in February 2022.

The most recent such threat came in his state-of-the-nation address last month, when he warned the West that deepening its involvement in the fighting in Ukraine would risk a nuclear war.

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