This is due to the prevailing sanctions in combination with an alleged perceived increased military threat from the West.
"High-ranking NATO leaders have made aggressive statements about our country."
Putin says in a televised speech.
- The forces he talks about are the so-called deterrent pieces, it is the Russian nuclear triad that consists of submarines, strategic bombers and the strategic robot troops, says the former lieutenant colonel Jörgen Elfving.
He believes that the statement should primarily be seen as a threat.
- Should there be further crust, there is a theoretical possibility that Russia would use this option, but it is difficult to say whether they would really take that step, says Elfving.
The US UN ambassador harshly criticizes the decision and says that Russia is escalating the conflict in an unacceptable way, writes CBS.
Hear former Lieutenant Jörgen Elfving comment on the Russian nuclear weapons message in the clip above.