Vladimir Putin Orders Nuclear Drills With Troops Near Ukraine

The defence ministry had announced earlier that drills, ordered by President Vladimir Putin, would be held "in the near future" in the face of unspecified Western "threats".

"It's obvious we are talking about statements from Mr Macron and statements from British representatives," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked by reporters what had prompted the drills.

"They are talking about the readiness and even the intention of sending armed contingents to Ukraine -- that is, in fact, to put NATO soldiers in front of the Russian military," he added.