A RUSSIAN deserter revealed Vladimir Putin had his nuke forces ready and locked in bases from the day his forces invaded Ukraine.
The former nuclear forces officer also revealed the terrifying state of these weapons that he said the tyrant had prepared to launch two years ago.
Russian defence ministryA ballistic missiles on a nuclear base in Russia[/caption]
Russian defence ministrySoldiers on a highly armed nuclear base in Russia[/caption]
ReutersVladimir Putin has escalated his threats against Ukraine and the West[/caption]
This defector said he worked on one of Russia’s top-secret nuclear weapon bases in February 2022.
He explained that the invasion changed everything on the base, as the officers previously only had weapons exercises, according to the BBC.
The defector revealed nukes were then put in place on the first day of the invasion.
He said: “We were ready to launch the forces into the sea and air and, in theory, carry out a nuclear strike.”
The former officer added that three days later that the country’s nuclear forces had been ordered into a “special mode of combat service.”
He explained his already secretive location went into lockdown as the workers were “shut inside the base.”
The officer explained that many of the nuclear officers knew little about the war.
He added: “All we had was Russian state TV.
“I didn’t really know what it all meant.”
The former officer also rebutted claims that lots of Russia’s huge arsenal was outdated and from the Soviet era.
He claimed these nukes were regularly checked and ready to be used.
The former officer said: “There might be some old-fashioned types of weapons in some areas, but the country has an enormous nuclear arsenal, a huge amount of warheads, including constant combat patrol on land, sea and air.”
This has come just days after the war between Ukraine and Russia intensified with the use of more advanced missiles on both sides.
Kyiv fired its first long-range missiles into the country overnight on November 11.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s men initially launched US ATACMS missiles then British Storm Shadow rockets just two days later.
The Kremlin responded by firing a medium-range intercontinental ballistic missile (IRBM) for the first time.
Warheads rained over the city of Dnipro in eastern Ukraine, shocking footage showed.
The missile offensive could continue as the two US Stratosphere bombers carried out a flying mission near Russian airspace, The Sun previously reported.
AFPFootage released showed flashes over the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on November 21[/caption]
APRescue workers putting out a fire after a Russian strike on Dnipro[/caption]
There are fears that war will spill over national borders, as senior NATO chiefs warned that Europe must prepare for total war with Putin.
On Monday, two US Air Force B-52 bombers — codenamed “PHARO FLIGHT” — headed northeast over the North Sea before entering northern Europe.
Radar data showed the aircraft departing from RAF Fairford in the UK, flying over the Baltic Sea and nearing Russian territory in Kaliningrad.
Another planes, identified as B-52 60-0024, crossed into Finnish airspace.
The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range heavy bomber known for its ability to carry a variety of weapons.
GettyUkrainian soldier loading artillery shells in the direction of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine[/caption]