A key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a nuclear-response warning to the West as tensions between Moscow and NATO allies rise. Former Russian Prime Minister and President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, made false claims that Ukraine is creating a "dirty bomb" to attack Russia.

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, tensions between NATO countries and the Kremlin have continued, with NATO leaders increasingly warning that direct conflict with Moscow is a realistic possibility. This comes after Putin and senior Russian officials have repeatedly threatened a nuclear escalation in the war against Kyiv and its Western partners.

Vladimir Putin has vowed to prevent Ukraine from acquiring nuclear weapons after Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that his military no longer uses the Soviet arsenal, as Kyiv seeks to join NATO. The Russian leader warned that if Ukraine manages to develop a significant nuclear arsenal,