Russia owns arms to destroy US in case of existential threats: Top Putin aide

A senior Russian official says Moscow owns such weapons that can destroy any enemy, including the United States, if it faces existential threats, alleging that Washington is underestimating Russia's nuclear might.

In an interview with the Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper published on Monday, Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the Russian Security Council, sounded the warning, the latest from a senior Russian official to raise the specter of a nuclear confrontation, something that Moscow says it wants to avoid.

"Russia is patient and does not intimidate anyone with its military advantage. But it has modern unique weapons capable of destroying any adversary, including the United States, in the event of a threat to its existence", said Patrushev, who is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest aides.

Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 to "de-Nazify" and “de-militarize” the country and over the threat of the former Soviet republic joining NATO. Kiev and its allies, however, say they were baseless pretexts for imperialistic ambitions.

Since the onset of the war, the US and Ukraine's other allies have sent Kiev tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons, including rocket systems, drones, armored vehicles, tanks, and communication systems. Western countries have also imposed a slew of economic sanctions on Moscow.

The Kremlin has time and again warned that the sanctions and the Western military assistance risk prolonging the war that recently completed one year.

"American politicians trapped by their own propaganda remain confident that, in the event of a direct conflict with Russia, the United States is capable of launching a preventive missile strike, after which Russia will no longer be able to respond. This is short-sighted stupidity, and very dangerous,", Patrushev stated.

Putin announces deal to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus

Russia plans to deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus after it reached an agreement with its neighboring territory, bringing some of its warheads closer to Europe.

The Kremlin has already said one of the reasons it deployed tens of thousands of troops in Ukraine in February last year was to counter an alleged security threat stemming from Kiev's rapprochement with NATO.

Since the onset of war, Moscow has in a number of occasions accused the US of making nuclear threats against Russia, and, in response, has voiced its readiness to use nuclear weapons in case of existential threats against the Russian Federation.

On Saturday, Putin said Moscow would station tactical nuclear missiles in Belarus, which borders both Ukraine and Russia. The unexpected move sent a warning to NATO over its military support for Ukraine and Russia's escalated standoff with the West.

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