Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia will launch a “lightning” counterattack on any nation interfering in its invasion of Ukraine at its latest nuclear threat to the West. The Russian leader made the threat in a speech to the Council of Legislators in St. Petersburg. Speaking to lawmakers, he warned: “If anyone intends to intervene in what is happening outside, they must know that it is an unacceptable strategic threat to Russia. “They should know that our response to the counterattacks will be lightning fast. Quickly. “We have all the weapons we need for this. No one else can brag about these weapons, and we will not brag about them. But we will use them. “
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The threat came amid allegations that Russian troops “do not like to fight in the rain” and that it is slowing down its efforts to seize more territory in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, Western officials said on Wednesday. They stressed that the Russian president’s forces are making “small gains” as they try to move forward. “But when faced with genuine military targets, they find it difficult to overcome the fierce Ukrainian resistance and suffer losses,” said one official. “The weather is not helping at the moment in Donbass with heavy rainfall. The Russians do not like to fight in the rain and this slows down progress. “What we see … They do not rain heavily.” Putin is believed to be trying to gain some form of victory in Donbass before May 9. The day is a key date in the Russian military calendar, as it marks the surrender of the Nazis to World War II and an annual parade takes place in Moscow’s Red Square. However, defense experts say Putin’s impending rush to achieve victory threatens to kill thousands more Russian soldiers. Earlier on Wednesday, British lawmakers imposed sanctions as a “sign of honor” after Moscow barred nearly 300 from entering Russia in retaliation for the UK’s response to the invasion of Ukraine. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was taking action against 287 members of the House of Commons in response to sanctions against Russian politicians, although its list included many former lawmakers. A statement accused Conservative and Labor members of “flogging Russophobic hysteria”. It comes after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday condemned Russia’s decision to cut gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria as “blackmail”. Russian energy giant Gazprom has announced that it is suspending supplies to the two Eastern European countries after refusing to pay for shipments in rubles. Polish gas company PGNiG confirmed on Wednesday morning that Gazprom had already turned off the taps, adding that the company’s customers were still refueling according to their needs. It was not clear if supplies to Bulgaria had been cut off. European gas prices rose 20 percent on Wednesday morning, while the euro fell to a five-year low against the dollar as markets reacted to the news.
