Putin threatens Western countries with retaliatory strikes if Russian territory is attacked.

In the address to the Federal Assembly on Thursday, February 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin underlined that Russia is capable of conducting strikes against Western countries. According to Putin’s speech, the war in Ukraine was provoked by the West and he also called “nonsense” reports that Russia is planning to attack Europe and continued:  

“And at the same time, they choose targets for striking our territory, choose what they think are the most effective means of destruction, and they started talking about the possibility of sending a NATO contingent to Ukraine.

We remember the fate of those who once sent their contingents to the territory of our country. But now the consequences for possible interventionists will be much more tragic. They must understand that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory”. 

President also added that there is a “threat of a conflict with the use of nuclear weapon. Don’t they understand it? They’ve already forgotten what war is”.  

Putin also said that Finland and Sweden were “dragged” into NATO and spoke about the necessity “to strengthen the groupings in the Western strategic direction to neutralize the threats associated with yet another NATO expansion to the east,” he said.