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The thinly-veiled nuclear threat comes amid increased calls by Putin\u2019s propagandists for Russia to strike at the West.<\/p>\n
Ryabkov blamed NATO for \u201cmalicious expansion\u201d and warned the \u201ccrisis is far from being resolved and is posing a major risk of further escalation\u201d.<\/p>\n
NATO has expanded eastwards since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact something which Russian pundits have seized on to justify Vladimir Putin\u2019s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
However, the Russian President appears to have miscalculated and what was supposed to be a three-day military operation has turned into a brutal, more than year-long conflict in the face of stiff Ukrainian resistance.<\/p>\n
Don’t miss… <\/strong> Putin scrambles to replace dead Russian soldiers by bribing foreigners to fight[REPORT] <\/strong><\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n As the war continues, NATO members have been providing Ukraine with more advanced Western equipment from HIMARS to main battle tanks.<\/p>\n Russia has treated each move as an escalation but short of an attack there appears to be little the Kremlin can do to punish the West.<\/p>\n Already, crippling sanctions prevent business with Russia and Europe has begun to ween itself off Russian gas completely after winter supply scares.<\/p>\n Still, Russia has an estimated 6,000 nuclear warheads of varying sizes and increasingly hostile rhetoric from Moscow has sparked concern.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/78\/590x\/secondary\/Russia-Ukraine-war-NATO-4948461.jpg?r=1694098907127\")
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