CNN —
Nearly 10 months after he began his invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday conceded that the conflict “will last for a while” and also warned of the “growing” threat of nuclear war.
At a meeting of Russia’s Human Rights Council in the Kremlin, Putin said Moscow would fight with “all the means at our disposal” in what he calls a “special military operation,” but said he saw no immediate need to mobilize more troops.
“Obviously, given the lengthy nature of the military special operation and its results, it may take a while,” he said.
And without categorically ruling out the first use of nuclear weapons, Putin said he views Russia’s nuclear arsenal as a deterrent rather than a provocation.
“The idea that Russia would under no circumstances use such weapons first means that we could not be the second to use them either – because the possibility of doing so in the event of an attack on our territory would be very limited,” he said.
“Nevertheless, we have a strategy … which is defense, we look at weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons – everything is based on the so-called retaliatory strike,” he said. “That means if we’re hit, we’ll strike in response.”
The Russian leader said that the United States’ nuclear weapons are located in large numbers on European soil, while Russia has not moved its nuclear weapons to other areas and does not plan to do so, but “will protect its allies by all means and its disposal if necessary.” .”
“We haven’t gone insane. We know what nuclear weapons are. We have these funds, they are in a more advanced and modern form than any other nuclear country, that’s obvious,” he said. “But we’re not going to brandish those guns like a razor and run around the world.”
An intercepted phone call reveals dwindling conditions for Russian forces
Putin also said there was no need for additional mobilization of Russian troops at this point, saying proposals for more deployments “just don’t make sense”.
Of the 300,000 men called up for Russia’s partial mobilization, half are currently in Ukraine — and of those, only 77,000 are in combat units, while the rest are in defense forces or in training, he said.
Meanwhile, in response to a question, he described Moscow’s territorial gains as “a significant result for Russia.”
In September, Putin announced the illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions – Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia.
However, Russia currently controls only 60% of the southern Kherson region. It was forced to withdraw from the regional capital of Kherson in a humiliating setback last month, though it still controls the coast along the Sea of Azov.
“Let’s face it, the Sea of Azov has become an inland sea of the Russian Federation. All of this is a big deal,” Putin said.
Meanwhile, in Zaporizhia, the United Nations nuclear watchdog has repeatedly warned of the danger of a nuclear accident at Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since March.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been rocked by explosions in recent months as fighting broke out nearby, with Kyiv and Moscow blaming each other for the attacks.
Earlier this week, a spokesman for Russia’s foreign ministry appeared to rule out proposals by the International Atomic Energy Agency to create a demilitarized zone around the power plant, claiming it is on “Russian territory and fully controlled by Russia.”
Putin’s comments come as the war enters winter, while Russia continues to shell eastern and southern parts of Ukraine — and faces attacks on its own soil.
Earlier this week, Russia unleashed a wave of drone and missile attacks across Ukraine, targeting the country’s energy infrastructure. Ukraine has faced a full-scale attack on critical infrastructure and energy sources since early October.
Recent strikes caused widespread power outages in several regions, including Kyiv and Odessa, leaving many homes without electricity. Ukrainian repair teams have been working feverishly to restore power across the country, but their efforts are being slowed by sub-zero temperatures and inclement weather.
Meanwhile, Russia has accused Kyiv of using drones to attack military airfields far within its territory on Monday and Tuesday – in a gross violation of Moscow’s assumptions that it can protect its deep inside.
Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the blasts, in line with Kiev’s policy of official silence on attacks in Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea.
However, in an apparent reference to the strikes, an aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cryptically tweeted that “if something is launched into the airspace of other countries, sooner or later unidentified flying objects will return to the point of departure.”