Vladimir Putin LIVE: Dictator wildly claims NATO will invade Russia as WW3 fears soar | World | News
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a wild claim that Russia and NATO are preparing to strike Russian territory.
He made the claims as he accused the West of “lying” about the war in Ukraine in his State of the Union address.
Putin added that Russia‘s nuclear power is in a state of “full-readiness.”
He said: “They are preparing to strike our territory. Using the best possible forces to do so. But, we remember of those who tried to invade out territory [in the past].
“Their fate will be much more tragic than anything that we could face. They have to understand that we also have weapons. Weapons that can defeat them on their own territory.
“Of course, this is all very dangerous because it could trigger the use of nuclear weapons, do they not understand that?”
His comments come after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested Russian troops could be sent to Ukraine.
Macron’s comments angered other NATO leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
His speech this year comes after opposition figure Alexei Navalny died in prison earlier this month, with Western leaders blaming Putin for his death.
Another Putin opponent, Boris Nadezhdin, has been barred from the elections after the Kremlin found “issues” with some signatures from his campaign backers.
The Russian President appears to be clamping down heavily on opposition movements in the country in preparation for the election.
Putin’s regime has also warned Western allies against interfering in Ukraine as NATO leaders discuss troops being sent to the country.
READ MORE: Inside Vladimir Putin’s nuclear plans and the exact point he could nuke UK