As the Ukraine conflict stretches on, Russia has issued a fresh nuclear warfare warning to the world. Russia's foreign minister said that if World War Three takes place, nuclear weapons would be used and it would be very destructive, RIA news agency reported. Sergey Lavrov reportedly added that Russia would face a "real danger" if Ukraine acquired nuclear weapons.
A day earlier, Lavrov had said that Moscow is taking "every possible measure" to prevent Kyiv from becoming a nuclear power. The Russian minister had been virtually addressing a disarmament conference in Geneva. He had said, "Ukraine possesses Soviet technologies and the means to deliver such (nuclear) weapons. We cannot ignore that real danger. Let me assure you, as a responsible member of the international community committed to its obligations to non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Russia is taking every possible measure to prevent Ukraine getting nuclear weapons and respective technologies."
ALSO WATCH | Russia's order for nuclear deterrent forces
On February 27, the fourth day of the Ukraine-Russia war, Vladimir Putin had ordered Russian nuclear deterrence forces to stay on high alert. Putin had also threatened the West with "consequences greater than any they have faced in history" if they tried to interfere in Ukraine.
On March 2, Moscow claimed to have taken control of Ukraine's Kherson even as heavy shelling continues on capital Kyiv and second-largest city Kharkiv.