In his address, Putin did not directly mention the special military operation in Ukraine. Some Western countries boycotted the inauguration ceremony in light of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The United States and the United Kingdom were among those that refused to send their diplomats to the event.
Russia’s relations with the US and its allies are at their lowest point since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, when the world came to the brink of a nuclear war.
The West has provided Ukraine with artillery, tanks and long-range missiles, but NATO troops have not joined the conflict directly, something that both Putin and US President Joe Biden have warned could lead to World War III.
Noting the rise in nuclear tensions, Russia said on Monday it would practice the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons as part of its military exercise, following what it said were threats from the UK and the US.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 