“They must understand that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory,” he added, warning of “tragic consequences” if NATO forces are deployed in Ukraine. “All of this really threatens conflict with nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. Don't they understand that?”
He continued that Western leaders believe that the war is “like a cartoon,” adding that “Russian strategic nuclear forces are in a state of complete readiness.” He boasted that Russia's most advanced hypersonic nuclear weapons, such as the Kinzhal and Zircon missiles, had been used in Ukraine, while other weapons were in the final stages of testing.
Putin had previously hinted at Russia's readiness to use its nuclear weapons, but Thursday's warning was unusually sharp.
“They are talking about the possibility of deploying NATO military units in Ukraine,” Putin said, referring to French President Emmanuel Macron’s statements this week, in which he indicated that deploying foreign forces in Ukraine was still an option – an option that some said NATO leaders, including: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has since contradicted him.
“We remember what happened to those who once sent their units into the territory of our country. Now, the invaders will suffer much more tragic consequences,” Putin said, adding that Russia would also strengthen its Western Military District after the accession of Sweden and Finland – which shares a long land border with Russia. – To the alliance.
Sweden cleared the final hurdle to joining NATO when the Hungarian parliament approved its bid to join the alliance on Monday. Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO after the Russian invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
While Putin touched on his familiar anti-Western themes, including his accusation that Western countries are bent on destroying Russia from within, his audience consisted of members of the military, Russian parliamentarians and select members of the public such as sports stars and film directors. And national volunteers. Some attendees nodded and took notes during the president's speech. Some stared blankly into space, while others laughed and clapped at the cue.
The speech was also broadcast live on advertising screens in shopping malls across the country, as well as in cinemas.
At the beginning of the speech, which lasted just over two hours, a minute of silence was observed for the lives of Russian soldiers fighting on the front line.
“The special military operation received the support of the absolute majority of the people. “People were adamant about this decision,” Putin said, using the Kremlin’s name for the war in Ukraine.
The Russian leader is preparing to remain in power for the foreseeable future, with a presidential election next month that the Kremlin rigged to exclude real opponents. Only three other candidates were allowed to run in the elections, as part of the Kremlin's efforts to convey a sense of democratic competition without posing any threat to Putin's rule.
All three have declared their support for Putin, while two anti-war candidates have been banned from running.
The speech comes at a politically sensitive moment – on the eve of the burial of his main political rival, Alexei Navalny, in Moscow on Friday. Navalny's widow, Yulia Navalnaya, accused Putin on Wednesday of ordering her husband's killing and preventing the family from renting a private hall where his coffin could be placed for a public farewell before the funeral.
Navalny's aides said Thursday that less than 24 hours before the funeral, the family was unable to secure a hearse to transport his body.
“At first we were not allowed to rent a funeral hall to say goodbye to Alexei. Now… agents are telling us that no hearse agreed to transport the body,” Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokeswoman, wrote on social media. “Anonymous people are calling and threatening all companies to stop them.” “Who took Alexei's body anywhere?”
Navalny was banned from running against Putin in the 2018 presidential elections, was poisoned by FSB agents in 2020, was imprisoned in 2021 and died in Polar Wolf prison on February 16.
After Russia's recent seizure of the town of Avdiivka and the nearby village of Lastochkini – both settlements being effectively razed to the ground after months of Russian bombing – Putin has shown increasing confidence in achieving victory in Ukraine.
Uncertainty over Ukraine's ability to prevail against Russia has deepened with the failure of its counterattack last year — and with a $95 billion U.S. security aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan have stumbled in Congress after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.) sent the Representatives to the House of Representatives. Leave for two weeks without putting the bill to a vote.
