٠٠:٠٢:١٧Russian State Duma Chairperson Vyacheslav Volodin warned at a plenary session on Tuesday that Moscow would 'respond' with 'more powerful weapons' if restrictions on the use of Western long-range weapons by the Ukrainian armed forces for strikes on Russian territory were lifted.
"This discussion could have dire consequences. Think about what they’re discussing. They’re discussing strikes on our peaceful cities. And they’re discussing it thinking it won’t affect them. But it will. We will respond. And we have the means to respond. We have more powerful weapons on standby," the Duma speaker said.
Volodin also stressed that under this condition, NATO countries would become direct participants in the conflict, since "satellite constellations belong to the United States and NATO countries. NATO troops would in this case be in charge of directing and executing commands using high-precision weapons together with satellite constellations."
Western countries regularly supply Ukraine with weapons, but there is currently a ban on long-range missile strikes deep into Russian territory.
At the same time, on 10 September, US President Joe Biden did not rule out that Washington would lift the ban on using US long-range weapons for strikes against Russia.
On Thursday, Putin said that Kiev's use of such weaponry would "mean nothing but direct involvement of NATO countries, the United States, European countries in the war in Ukraine" and added that it "considerably changes… the very nature of the conflict, implying that NATO countries… are at war with Russia."
It came ahead of a key meeting between UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden in Washington on Friday. Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for the capability to hit targets deep inside Russian territory, and for all restrictions to be lifted.
Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on 7 June, Russian political scientist Sergei Karaganov claimed that "accelerating nuclear escalation could save a large number of lives" and urged Putin to move decisively in this direction.
"We have a nuclear doctrine, [and everything is written there on the use of nuclear weapons]. <...> Everything is written in there: use is possible in exceptional circumstances - in case of threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. In exceptional circumstances. I do not think that such an eventuality has occurred - there is no such need. But this doctrine is a living instrument, and we are carefully watching what is happening in the world and around us, and we do not exclude making some amendments to this doctrine," Putin responded.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
'More powerful weapons on standby' - State Duma Chair Volodin vows to 'respond' to potential long-range strikes inside Russia
Russian State Duma Chairperson Vyacheslav Volodin warned at a plenary session on Tuesday that Moscow would 'respond' with 'more powerful weapons' if restrictions on the use of Western long-range weapons by the Ukrainian armed forces for strikes on Russian territory were lifted.
"This discussion could have dire consequences. Think about what they’re discussing. They’re discussing strikes on our peaceful cities. And they’re discussing it thinking it won’t affect them. But it will. We will respond. And we have the means to respond. We have more powerful weapons on standby," the Duma speaker said.
Volodin also stressed that under this condition, NATO countries would become direct participants in the conflict, since "satellite constellations belong to the United States and NATO countries. NATO troops would in this case be in charge of directing and executing commands using high-precision weapons together with satellite constellations."
Western countries regularly supply Ukraine with weapons, but there is currently a ban on long-range missile strikes deep into Russian territory.
At the same time, on 10 September, US President Joe Biden did not rule out that Washington would lift the ban on using US long-range weapons for strikes against Russia.
On Thursday, Putin said that Kiev's use of such weaponry would "mean nothing but direct involvement of NATO countries, the United States, European countries in the war in Ukraine" and added that it "considerably changes… the very nature of the conflict, implying that NATO countries… are at war with Russia."
It came ahead of a key meeting between UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden in Washington on Friday. Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for the capability to hit targets deep inside Russian territory, and for all restrictions to be lifted.
Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on 7 June, Russian political scientist Sergei Karaganov claimed that "accelerating nuclear escalation could save a large number of lives" and urged Putin to move decisively in this direction.
"We have a nuclear doctrine, [and everything is written there on the use of nuclear weapons]. <...> Everything is written in there: use is possible in exceptional circumstances - in case of threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. In exceptional circumstances. I do not think that such an eventuality has occurred - there is no such need. But this doctrine is a living instrument, and we are carefully watching what is happening in the world and around us, and we do not exclude making some amendments to this doctrine," Putin responded.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Russian State Duma Chairperson Vyacheslav Volodin warned at a plenary session on Tuesday that Moscow would 'respond' with 'more powerful weapons' if restrictions on the use of Western long-range weapons by the Ukrainian armed forces for strikes on Russian territory were lifted.
"This discussion could have dire consequences. Think about what they’re discussing. They’re discussing strikes on our peaceful cities. And they’re discussing it thinking it won’t affect them. But it will. We will respond. And we have the means to respond. We have more powerful weapons on standby," the Duma speaker said.
Volodin also stressed that under this condition, NATO countries would become direct participants in the conflict, since "satellite constellations belong to the United States and NATO countries. NATO troops would in this case be in charge of directing and executing commands using high-precision weapons together with satellite constellations."
Western countries regularly supply Ukraine with weapons, but there is currently a ban on long-range missile strikes deep into Russian territory.
At the same time, on 10 September, US President Joe Biden did not rule out that Washington would lift the ban on using US long-range weapons for strikes against Russia.
On Thursday, Putin said that Kiev's use of such weaponry would "mean nothing but direct involvement of NATO countries, the United States, European countries in the war in Ukraine" and added that it "considerably changes… the very nature of the conflict, implying that NATO countries… are at war with Russia."
It came ahead of a key meeting between UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden in Washington on Friday. Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for the capability to hit targets deep inside Russian territory, and for all restrictions to be lifted.
Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on 7 June, Russian political scientist Sergei Karaganov claimed that "accelerating nuclear escalation could save a large number of lives" and urged Putin to move decisively in this direction.
"We have a nuclear doctrine, [and everything is written there on the use of nuclear weapons]. <...> Everything is written in there: use is possible in exceptional circumstances - in case of threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. In exceptional circumstances. I do not think that such an eventuality has occurred - there is no such need. But this doctrine is a living instrument, and we are carefully watching what is happening in the world and around us, and we do not exclude making some amendments to this doctrine," Putin responded.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.