Russian For.Min. threatens nuclear war

"These weapons are a legitimate target for the Russian armed forces as part of a special military operation in Ukraine," Lavrov told state television. "Storage facilities in western Ukraine have already been targeted more than once" by the Russian armed forces and "could not be done otherwise," he continued. "NATO, in essence, has been involved in a war with Russia through an intermediary and is equipping that intermediary. "War means war," he added.

The risk of a nuclear war is now very significant and can not be underestimated, said Sergei Lavrov, adding that "there are many who are willing to artificially inflate this threat."

He also recalled that in January, the countries that make up the "strong nuclear five" of the world, confirmed the position on "the unacceptable use of these weapons."

"This is the starting point for us and we are moving forward on that basis. I would not go so far as to say that the risk is really very, very serious and there are many who want to inflate it artificially. "However, the danger is serious, it is real, it can not be underestimated," said the head of Russian diplomacy.

Britain will send a small number of Stormer armored vehicles to Ukraine, equipped with anti-aircraft missile launchers, as announced by the British Minister of Defense Ben Wallace.

He added that an estimated 15,000 Russian soldiers had been killed in the fighting and 2,000 armored vehicles, including 530 tanks, had been destroyed. 60 helicopters and fighter jets have also been destroyed. Russia, however, has warned the United States and other countries not to send more weapons to Ukraine. This was stated by the Russian ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov speaking on Russian television.

"We have stressed that this situation is unacceptable and we have called for an end to this practice," Antonov told Rossiya 24." The Blinken trip is the first official high-level American visit since the start of the war. Washington has even promised a further $ 700 million in military aid to Ukraine.

At the same time, Russia is planning a "gradual referendum" in the southern city of Kherson to justify its occupation, according to a recent report by the UK Department of Defense.

At the same time, fighting continues in the East. According to the Ukrainian president, "These are the places where the fate of this war and the future of our state are being decided now." However, everyone is looking to May 9, the date on which the Russian president must show some kind of victory. For days, after all, he has declared Mariupol "liberated" after 53 days of fighting, urging his army to move forward. "We do not need to climb into these catacombs and crawl underground through these industrial facilities," he said. The fact remains, however, that Russian forces continue to attack the factory in Mariupol, where Ukrainian fighters have takren refuge.

At the same time, Moscow accused Kyiv of refusing to open a humanitarian corridor in Mariupol, and Kiev blamed Moscow.

Another dimension is given to this war by well-informed sources who claim that Finland and Sweden will announce together in May their intention to join NATO. Although they have intensified their co-operation with the Alliance since Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula, the two Nordic countries have chosen not to join. However, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they both made a 180-degree turn.