Vladimir Putin “No choice but to Engage with Nuclear-Weapons, if territory Retaken…”

Russia has threatened to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine if the ex-Soviet state retakes Moscow-controlled territory.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian security council, claimed Moscow would be justified due to a nuclear deterrence policy adopted by President Vladimir Putin in 2020.

The Russian President vowed to use atomic weapons in response to a conventional strike which “threatens the very existence of the state”.

Commenting on the prospect of using nuclear weapons, Medvedev said: “There would simply be no other choice.”

He added: “So our enemies must pray for our warriors [who are] preventing the ignition of a worldwide nuclear conflagration.”

Medvedev’s comments come after Ukraine attacked targets inside Russia.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky described the aerial onslaught as an “inevitable” consequence of Russia’s invasion.

It has been suggested the Kremlin would likely use a short-range tactical or “battlefield” nuclear weapon fired from Russia, Belarus or the occupied part of Ukraine.

Russia could even opt to fire the weapon from an aircraft or submarine.

Medvedev has threatened to use strategic nuclear weapons several times since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2020.

Russia and Ukraine have continued to launch aerial attacks in recent days, with Putin’s troops killing at least four people during a strike in the southern city of Kryvyi Rih.

Zelensky wrote on Telegram: “This terror will not frighten us or break us.”

Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday that three Ukrainian drones had been shot down in attacks that damaged two office towers in Moscow.

The attack also briefly led to an international airport shutting down.

A separate aerial bombardment, which Ukraine did not take responsibility for, was launched against Putin’s Moscow residence.

The UK’s Ministry of Defence has released an intelligence update highlighting how Putin’s grip on power had loosened since facing more domestic pressures.

The MoD said: “The increased chance of being compelled to fight, drone attacks on Moscow, exceptional level of domestic repression, and the recent Wagner mutiny combine to highlight the Russian state’s failure to insulate the population from the war.”