His stance that the West conspires against Russia has been a recurring theme in Putin’s efforts to suppress anti-war dissent.
He said about the possible division of Russia into regional groupings: “There will be Muscovites, Urals and others.” He assumed that the West could only partially accept Russia into the so-called “family of civilized peoples”, dividing the country into separate parts.
Putin also said that Russia last week suspended its participation in the New START nuclear treaty not only because of US nuclear capabilities but also those of other NATO countries. He said Russia could not accept US inspections of its nuclear sites while Washington and its NATO allies sought to defeat Russia in Ukraine. But he reiterated that Moscow would not withdraw from the agreement, and his State Department said Moscow would respect the treaty’s maximum limits on nuclear weapons and would continue to notify the United States about ballistic missile tests.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in an update that the lack of reports of drones launching attacks in Ukraine since mid-February likely indicates the Russians are running out of Iranian-made weapons, although they will likely order more.
The ministry said the drones were initially effective at damaging civilian infrastructure, but that Ukrainians have become more adept at shooting them down, including at least 24 between late January and early February.
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