Russian president Vladimir Putin on Sunday (February 27) raised the alert level on his nuclear weapons in an unprecedented escalation of tensions with the West. While Putin's troops and tanks pushed farther into Ukraine, closing in on Kyiv, Ukraine's embattled leader consented to hold peace talks with Moscow.

On Sunday, Putin upped the ante by issuing an instruction to strengthen the readiness of Russia's nuclear weapons, citing "aggressive remarks" by NATO and strong financial penalties, raising fears that the invasion of Ukraine could lead to nuclear war, whether on purpose or by accident.

Putin's order came as Russian forces faced stiff opposition from Ukraine's defences. US officials say the invasion has been more difficult and slower than Moscow anticipated despite the progress of Russian troops across Ukraine.

In response to the rising tensions, Western countries said they would tighten sanctions and purchase and deliver weaponry to Ukraine, including Stinger missiles for taking down Russian helicopters and other aircraft.

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Security crisis in Eastern Europe

Putin instructed his defence minister and the military's chief of staff to place the nuclear deterrent forces on a "special regime of combat duty." In addition to heavy economic penalties and the exclusion of key Russian banks from the SWIFT banking system, he claimed that leading NATO states had made "aggressive statements" toward Russia.

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Following his rejection of Putin's offer to meet in the Belarusian city of Homel because their common neighbour was facilitating Russia's assault, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to send a delegation to meet with Russian counterparts at an unspecified time and location on the Belarusian border.

The news comes just hours after Russia announced that its delegation had arrived in Belarus for negotiations. Ukrainian officials originally resisted the plan, claiming that any negotiations should occur somewhere other than Belarus, which has actively backed Putin by allowing Russia to use its territory as a staging ground.

Germany military aid

Germany stated late Saturday that it would give Ukraine 1,000 anti-tank weaponry and 500 "Stinger" surface-to-air missiles. These weapons are in addition to the 400 anti-tank weapons built in Germany that Germany permitted for shipment from the Netherlands and 9 D-30 howitzers and ammo from Estonia.

Soon after that, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his government would increase its defence expenditures to rearm amid uncertainties about the depth of Putin's intentions.

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Casualties and impacts of war

According to Ukraine's Interior Ministry, 352 civilians have been killed, including 14 children. A total of 1,684 people has been injured, including 116 children, according to the report.

While Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that losses in Russia were lower than Ukraine's, he did not give the exact figure.

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, over 368,000 Ukrainians have landed in neighbouring countries since the invasion began on Thursday (24 February 2022).

Russia has amassed almost 200,000 troops around Ukraine's borders and has repeatedly claimed that the attacks are limited to military targets only.

Bottom Line

Since the invasion, Russia's economy has taken a beating, with the country’s currency plummeting and the central bank urging calm to avert bank runs. European Union, the US and Britain have already agreed to block selected Russian banks from the SWIFT system.

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