A close ally of President Vladimir Putin warned Western governments on Thursday that a nuclear war would ensue if they gave the green light for Ukraine to use long-range Western weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.

Armenia's prime minister said the CSTO, seen as Putin's NATO, "creates threats" for his country's future existence, after it pulled away from it.

On Wednesday, the Kremlin condemned comments by outgoing NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg as “dangerous”, Reuters reports. Stoltenberg had suggested that allowing Ukraine to use Western long-range missiles to strike Russian territory would not trigger an escalation from Moscow.

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia was ramping up drone production by around ten times to nearly 1.4 million this year in a bid to ensure the Russian armed forces win in Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the Russian military received around 140,000 drones in 2023 and that Moscow plans to increase this number tenfold in 2024.

As the independent portal Meduza reported, Vladimir Putin ordered an increase in the Russian army by 180,000 people. What does the Russian President’s decision mean? The Russians are terrified because mass mobilization into the military could start again.