Putin Put Russian Nuclear Forces On 'Special Alert' As Ukraine Tension Escalates

The West has poked the bear, and now nuclear forces are being put on the table.

Putin has ordered for Russian nuclear forces to be put on "special alert" on Sunday because of "aggressive statements" and heavy economic sanctions from the West in response to Russia's war on Ukraine.

The Russian president had hinted at the possibility of using nuclear weapons since his invasion of Ukraine began, but on Sunday, he finally ordered for nuclear deterrent forces to be put on "special regime of combat duty," reports BBC.

Since this bold move, many NATO countries have condemned the Kremlin for bringing nuclear forces into the mix, given the globally devastating turn this conflict could take if nuclear weapons were used.

The U.S. has already condemned Russia for putting nuclear warfare on the table and called it an "unacceptable escalation."

A senior U.S. defence official warned that Putin is "potentially putting in play forces that, if there's a miscalculation, could make things much, much more dangerous," reports the Associated Press.

However, U.K. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told BBC that Putin's latest orders are just a tactic to distract the world from "what's going wrong in Ukraine," adding that Russia is behind schedule in its invasion and that Ukrainians are putting up a "very strong fight."

Putin wants to invoke fear and "remind the world" that Russia has nuclear weapons, but this doesn't necessarily mean he is ready to use them, according to Wallace.

Since Putin's announcement, the E.U. has responded with more strict actions and prompted them to enforce a whole new wave of unprecedented sanctions against Russia.

The new measures against Russia include financing weapons for Ukraine to defend itself, a ban on Russian planes from entering E.U. airspace and shutting out Russian state news outlets in E.U. territory.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.