Putin Denies Having 'Gone Mad' Over Ukraine War: 'We Realize What Nuclear Weapons Are'

Vladimir Putin in December said that Russia has an "advanced and modern" form of nuclear weapons than any other nation, but he is not planning to use them for the Ukraine war. 

What Happened: The Russian President, in a televised meeting, told loyalists that the war in Kyiv, set to enter its tenth month at the time, may not end sometime yet, Reuters reported. 

“This can be a long process,” he said.

See Also: Ukraine Slams India For Buying Oil From Putin: ‘If You Benefit From Our Suffering…’

Amid Western fears that Putin may go for nuclear weapons after a series of defeats in Kherson, the Russian president said, “We haven’t gone mad, we realize what nuclear weapons are.”

“We have these means in more advanced and modern form than any other nuclear country … But we aren’t about to run around the world brandishing this weapon like a razor.”

In an interview published in December, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Funke media that the risk of Russia using nuclear weapons has decreased in response to international pressure, adding that Putin continued his “undiminished brutality.”

Meanwhile, the Russian leader also cleared the air about additional mobilization measures that had led to thousands of Russians searching for ways to harm them and booking flights out of the country.

He said about 150,000 of the 300,000 reservists called up in Sept. and Oct. had been deployed in Ukraine, 77,000 in combat units. The remaining 150,000 were still at training centers, he added.

“Under these conditions, talk about any additional mobilization measures simply makes no sense,” Putin said.

This story was originally published on Dec. 7, 2022.

Check out more of Benzinga’s Europe and Asia coverage by following this link.