A prominent ally of Putin believes that Moscow is now fighting NATO in Ukraine

Russia confirms continuing to develop the "nuclear triad" as a major guarantor of its territorial integrity

A Russian woman sells a model of the Russian intercontinental strategic missile "Topol-M" in Red Square in Moscow.

EPA

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced yesterday that Russia will continue to develop the nuclear shield as a major guarantor of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, while one of the closest allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is now fighting NATO in Ukraine, and that the West is trying to erase Russia from the political map. for the world.

Shoigu said, during a video conference: "We will continue to develop the nuclear triad and maintain its combat readiness, because the nuclear shield was and still is the main guarantor of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state," stressing that the Russian armed forces will develop an arsenal of offensive weapons in the near future.

Shoigu added that the Russian Ministry of Defense will take comprehensive measures for the qualitative renewal of the armed forces, making it possible to contain the aggression against the Russian Federation and its allies.

He stressed that Russia will work to increase the combat capabilities of the Air Force, in terms of operating fighters and bombers in the field of operating modern air defense systems, and in terms of improving unmanned aircraft.

"In addition, immediate plans include expanding arsenals of modern offensive weapons," he added.

Russia ranks first in the world with its nuclear warheads, as it has about 5977 nuclear warheads, which is half of what all the armies of the world combined possess, and the arsenal of the nuclear triad consists of:

■■ 1,500 warheads strategically prepared for launch, using more than 500 ballistic missiles, submarines and strategic bombers.

■■ The number of strategic nuclear bombs is 2977 bombs.

■■ In 60 seconds, dozens of intercontinental nuclear missiles can be launched.

■■ The Russian Navy has the most dangerous nuclear weapon in the world, known as the "Doomsday Torpedo", also known as "Stats-6".

This comes at a time when the Secretary General of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, who is one of Putin's closest allies, said that Moscow is now fighting NATO in Ukraine.

Putin views the war in Ukraine as an existential battle with the West, which he describes as "brutal and arrogant," and said Russia would use all available means to protect itself and its people from any aggressor.

Diplomats see Patrushev as one of Putin's most hardline influences.

Putin has vowed victory in Ukraine, despite a series of setbacks on the battlefield.

"The events in Ukraine are not a clash between Moscow and Kiev, this is a military confrontation between Russia and NATO, and mainly between Russia, the United States and Britain," Patrushev said, in an interview with the newspaper "Argumenti e Facti".

"The plans of the Westerners are to continue to tear Russia apart, and eventually to wipe it off the political map of the world," he added.

On the other hand, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that the situation in the town of Solidar, which is under intense fighting in the Donetsk region in the east of the country, is still very tense, after previous reports of continuous and strong Russian attacks on the main city that is still controlled by Kyiv forces.

“It is very difficult,” Zelensky added in his daily video address late Monday.

There are hardly any intact walls left there.”

However, the Ukrainian president said that "although the Russians have now concentrated their greatest efforts on Solidar, the result of this difficult and continuous struggle will be the liberation of all of Donbass".

He said that the resistance of Ukrainian soldiers in Solidar buys time for the entire army.

"The battle for Donbass continues," he added.

Donbass includes the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine.

Earlier, a Ukrainian official reported that Russian forces are focusing on the city of Solidar.

Zelensky said earlier that the situation is difficult in Solidar and nearby Bakhmut, but that his army still controls the two cities.

It is noteworthy that Solidar and Bakhmut are part of the Ukrainian defense line in front of the Sloviansk and Kramatorsk metropolitan areas.

From the Russian point of view, capturing this region would be an important step towards controlling the entire Donbass region, which is one of the Kremlin's stated goals in the war.

Meanwhile, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said, on the sidelines of US President Joe Biden's visit to Mexico, that US financial aid to Ukraine is "very solid" for 2023, despite the change in majority in Congress.

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