In a recent development, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister and a key confidant of President Vladimir Putin, issued a stark warning on Friday, stating that Russia's nuclear arsenal is in a state of "full combat readiness."
The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to escalate, with the tension between NATO nations and the Kremlin reaching new heights. NATO leaders have been increasingly vocal about the realistic threat of direct confrontation with Moscow, given its possession of more nuclear warheads than any other nation. This information comes from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICANW). This heightened concern follows repeated threats of nuclear escalation against Kyiv and its Western allies by Putin and other high-ranking Russian officials since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
As reported by Tass, a Russian state news agency, Lavrov, during an interview with Sky News Arabia, stated that while "nobody wants a nuclear war," Russia's nuclear weapons are primed for combat. "We talk about red lines, expecting that our assessments, statements will be heard by intelligent, decision-making people. It is not serious to say that if tomorrow you do not do what I demand of you, we will press the 'red button,'" Lavrov said. "I am convinced that in such situations, decision makers have an idea of what we are talking about. Nobody wants a nuclear war."
Lavrov further warned that Russia has weapons "that will have serious implications for the handlers of the Ukrainian regime."
This statement follows a similar warning from another Putin ally, former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who issued a new nuclear response warning last week.
In a post on Telegram, Medvedev, who is also the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council and a former Russian president, spoke about a nuclear response as a "hugely complex decision with irreversible consequences," but cautioned that "you can only test someone's patience for so long."
"Yet, Russia has been patient. It is obvious that a nuclear response is a hugely complex decision with irreversible consequences. What arrogant Anglo-Saxon dimwits fail to admit, though, is that you can only test someone's patience for so long," Medvedev said.
He further added, "It will turn out in the end that certain moderate Western analysts were right when they warned: 'True, the Russians are not likely to use this response, although...it's still a possibility. Besides, they may use new delivery vehicles with conventional payloads.' And thenit's over. A giant blot of molten-grey mass in the place where 'the mother of Russian cities' [historical name of Kiev] once stood. Holy s***, it's impossible, but it happened..."
In response to Medvedev's statements, the U.S. Department of State downplayed their significance. "We know by now not to take Medvedev seriously," a department spokesperson wrote. "This is standard Kremlin nonsense."
The United States, along with other Western nations, has been supplying Ukraine with military aid to defend itself against Russia. Earlier this year, the U.S. began providing Ukraine with longer-range ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) missiles.
Ukraine has been pushing for the U.S. and the United Kingdom to lift their ban on American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles being used to target Russian territory, amid fears that Kyiv's use would escalate the conflict.
Ukraine argues that it needs these long-range weapons to target air bases used by Russian warplanes that launch glide bombs against Kyiv, often from deep within Russian territory. So far, Storm Shadow missiles with a range of around 150 miles have only been used against Russian targets in occupied Ukrainian territory.
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