Putin: Russians would go to heaven in nuclear war
During a session of the Valdai Discussion Club ,Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia will “never be the initiator of military action, including the use of nuclear weaponry”, but in the event of a nuclear strike, all Russians will “go to heaven”.
“An aggressor must know that retaliation is unavoidable. We, the victims of aggression, we will go to heaven like martyrs. But they will just die, because they won’t even have time to repent,” Putin remarked.
He also emphasized that Russia is not afraid of anything, and is prepared to use nuclear weapons if it is certain that a potential aggressor will launch a counter attack against Russia.
“We are not afraid of anything. When your country has this kind of territory, and a population willing to give its life for the Fatherland – nobody can do anything to it,” Putin said.
Earlier CNN published an article with satellite images showing that Russia is upgrading its nuclear bunkers in Kaliningrad.
In March, Putin devoted a significant portion of his annual address to the Federal Assembly to a description of Russia’s new weapons. He said that Russia has developed and successfully tested a new nuclear-powered cruise missile with “unlimited range and an unpredictable flight trajectory”. During the address, Putin presented 3D video clips of the launch of a Sarmat ballistic missile equipped with a system to bypass anti-missile defense. The Russian President accused the US of deploying anti-missile defense systems all around the world, but claimed that the Russian defense industry is not standing still, and is inventing ways to bypass these systems.