President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia could even resort to nuclear weapons in the event of a military conflict with NATO.
„We understand that we will face an adversary twice as large as us,” Putin said, referring to a possible conflict with NATO.
"The idea is that we have competitive advantages in terms of our defense capabilities. Yes, of course, France and the United Kingdom are nuclear powers; we fully understand this and are fully aware of it. But no one else has the weapons that Russia possesses today," Putin warned at Thursday's annual Valdai Discussion Club forum, as reported by Kiev Independent.
The Kremlin leader warned that Moscow is prepared to use its entire arsenal, including nuclear weapons, if the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, located between Poland and Lithuania, were to be attacked.
Putin maintains that Russia does not intend to attack any European country but will respond to any potential Western aggression.
"If there is a direct attack on the Russian Federation, in this case on Kaliningrad and, possibly, on other territories, of course, the issue of using all the weapons in our country's arsenal will arise unavoidably. This is inevitable," warned the Russian president, as cited by CNN.
Putin accuses NATO of escalating tensions in the Baltic Sea region
The Russian leader's threats come after recent military exercises conducted by NATO near Kaliningrad. The Alliance has described these maneuvers as defensive exercises aimed at strengthening deterrence capabilities.
However, Moscow has expressed concern about these activities and warned at the end of September that it will retaliate if NATO attempts to block the Russian exclave by air or sea.
"The exercises in the Baltic Sea, one after another... Then, attempts to detain our ships and vessels. All of these represent an escalation. And then we started hearing statements regarding the Kaliningrad region," Putin said.
The Kremlin leader made a clear reference to the possibility of using nuclear weapons, stating that no one can guarantee that they will not be used.
"Can we be sure that this weapon will never be used? Of course not," Putin declared. "We all know the saying: if in the first act there is a gun hanging on the wall, sooner or later it will be fired."
Russia has repeatedly resorted to nuclear threats in the confrontation with Western countries amid the large-scale war against Ukraine.
Russia threatens European factories producing weapons for Ukraine
Putin reiterated that Russia has no intention of attacking other countries, as Russian drones have repeatedly violated the airspace of NATO states, and the Kremlin is accused of several sabotage attempts.
At the same time, Russia continues almost uninterrupted attacks on Ukrainian territory.
On September 28, Putin signed a decree increasing the total personnel of the Russian armed forces, a few days after reports emerged that Moscow plans to increase military spending to record levels.
The Russian president also reiterated threats previously made by the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, that European factories producing weapons for Ukraine could become military targets for Moscow.
For several months, European leaders have warned of the escalating hybrid operations attributed to Russia against NATO member states, especially those on the Alliance's eastern flank and countries supporting Ukraine. These operations include cyberattacks, sabotage, and espionage attempts.
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