President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday lauded Moscow's nuclear arsenal and warned that he was ready to deploy the weapons if Russia's sovereignty was threatened."We are ready to use weapons, including any weapons including the weapons you mentioned if it is a question of the existence of the Russian state or damage to our sovereignty and independence," Putin added in the interview that aired on Wednesday.
As many as 78.9% of Russians trust President Vladimir Putin, while 76.2% generally approve of his job performance, a survey by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) showed on Friday
UK Defence Intelligence officials believe that Russia will avoid making unpopular political steps, such as announcing new waves of mobilisation, before the presidential election. Source: UK Defence Intelligence review on Twitter (X), dated 10 October, as reported by European Pravda Details: Presidential elections in Russia will be held on 17 March 2024, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will almost certainly run again, the UK analysts say.
The chances of a new round of mobilization in Russia before the upcoming presidential election in March 2024 are low, the British Ministry of Defense wrote on Oct. 10. Such a move would likely be unpopular, and although elections in Russia are tightly controlled, they are still "a core tool of political legitimization."