Vladimir Putin has issued a chilling warning to Western nations that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences they have never seen”.
The Russian President accused the US and its allies of ignoring his demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and offer Moscow security guarantees.
Putin told state TV that NATO powers have made "aggressive statements" along with the West imposing hard-hitting financial sanctions against Russia, including the president himself.
He ordered the Russian defence minister and the chief of the military's General Staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces in a "special regime of combat duty".
The US Ambassador to the United Nations says Putin's order shows the Russian leader is "escalating conflict in a manner that is unacceptable".
Linda Thomas-Greenfield said: "It means that President Putin is continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable. "We have to continue to stem his actions in the strongest possible way."
As he launched a full-throttled invasion of Ukraine, he claimed the Russian military operation was designed to “demilitarise” and “de-Nazify” neighbouring Ukraine.
The tyrant added that all Ukrainian servicemen who lay down arms will be able to safely leave the zone of combat.
In a stark warning the West, he said: “To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside - if you do, you will face consequences greater than any you have faced in history”.
Western governments reacted with alarm to Putin’s words given his irrational approach to date and the scale of Russia ’s nuclear stockpile.
Ukrainian ambassador Vadym Prystaik said his countrymen believed they would have been better prepared for the attacks if it hadn’t given up its nuclear weapons in 1994.
Putin claimed Russia did not plan to occupy Ukraine - but Western officials said it was not yet clear whether he would install a puppet government in Kyev.
He has long wished to revive the Soviet Union with retired Nato supreme commander General Sir Richard Shirreff saying it was “entirely plausible” that was Putin’s aim.
He added that if Russia puts “one bootstep” into Nato territory - which includes the Baltic states and Poland - the entire alliance including the UK will be at war.
Russia’s nuclear capability: facts and figures
Russia possesses approximately 6,257 nuclear weapons.
These can be launched from missiles, submarines, and aircraft.
In 2020, Russia spent an estimated US$8 billion to build and maintain its nuclear forces.
The former Soviet Union tested 715 nuclear weapons between 1949 and 1990
Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons between in 1994 under the Budapest Security agreement.
Kiev had previously had the third largest stockpile in the world, but they were under Moscow’s control.
