Could Putin pull the trigger? Russian president Vladimir Putin has issued a new “warning” to the West. But some say we should no longer take him seriously.
Russia raises the nuclear stakes
Doomsday?: President Putin imagined as Dr Strangelove by our illustrator (above) in a reference to the 1964 Cold War comedy film in which an American general goes crazy and nukes Moscow. Glossary
Vladimir Putin - Russia’s ruler since 2000. He is a strong opponent of the West.
Nuclear weapons - A bomb or other weapon that uses nuclear energy to cause a big explosion.
Russia - The largest country in the world by area. It has a population of 144 million people.
Ukraine - A country in Eastern Europe. It was invaded by Russia in February 2022.
Kursk - A city in western Russia. In 2024, Ukrainian forces launched a surprise assault and took over parts of the region, as part of the Russia-Ukraine war which began in 2022.
Nuclear power - Nuclear energy is the energy in the nucleus, or core, of an atom — a tiny piece of matter. It can be used to create electricity.