Putin places nuclear umbrella over annexed Ukraine regions
The Independent
19/10/2022
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Ukraine: Zelensky vows to fight 'as long as we can' for embattled 'fortress' Bakhmut While hosting European Union chiefs in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy has vowed to defend the city of Bakhmut "for as long as we can".
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'Guilty' dog hides in corner after shredding up expensive pillow A dog was filmed looking guilty in the corner after being caught shredding a pillow and leaving a mess in the roomSWNS
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Strolling wild elephant towers over passing cars in Thailand A strolling wild elephant towered over passing cars on a forest road in Thailand.Footage shows the gigantic creature named Plai Boon Chuay walking next to vehicles caught in a traffic jam in Phetchaburi province on December 5.When Plai Boon Chuay emerged from the woods, the motorists were asked to stop to avoid scaring the animal and were stuck on the route.However, driver Jaroen Lokruam said the elephant was gentle and the park rangers immediately responded.Jaroen said: ‘The elephant was not aggressive. It even appeared to greet us while it was walking alongside us.'Thailand has an estimated 2,000 Asian elephants living in the wild where they wander freely among protected forests. Male Asian elephants, unlike African elephants, roam alone once they are over 10 years old while females remain with the herd.There is sometimes conflict when they come into contact with humans on roads and in villages so wildlife rangers are tasked with monitoring their movements.
Regions of Ukraine recently illegally annexed by Russia are under the protection of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal, the Kremlin has claimed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “all these territories are inalienable parts of the Russian Federation”, and as such were “protected”.
“Their security is provided for at the same level as the rest of Russia’s territory,” he added.
Nato is conducting annual nuclear exercises this week and has said it expects Russia to hold its own nuclear drills imminently.
Just last month, Vladimir Putin threatened the West as he said Moscow was ready to use nuclear weapons if necessary to defend the “territorial integrity” of Russia, insisting that he was “not bluffing”.
© Provided by The Independent
Nato is conducting nuclear preparedness exercises this week and has said it expects Russia to hold its own nuclear drills imminently (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service)
US president Joe Biden said that Putin’s threat had brought the world closer to “Armageddon” than any time since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when many feared a nuclear war might be imminent.
Although Putin proclaimed that the territories Moscow was taking from Ukraine would be part of Russia “for ever”, Russia does not wholly control any of the four regions and has yet to define their borders.
© Provided by The Independent
Putin proclaimed that the territories Moscow was taking from Ukraine would be part of Russia “for ever” (via REUTERS)
The annexation was condemned as illegal by Ukraine, its Western allies and an overwhelming majority of countries in the United Nations General Assembly.
Nearly eight months into his invasion of Ukraine, some analysts believe the likelihood of Putin resorting to nuclear weapons has increased since his army suffered a series of major defeats.
Putin’s ally Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, warned the West last week against backing Russia into a corner.
Other analysts have argued the nuclear risk is overstated, suggesting it would be suicidal for Putin to embark on such an escalation.
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