Putin's chilling new nuke threat: Russia lowers threshold of when it can launch a nuclear strike in fresh warning to the West

Putin's chilling new nuke threat: Russia lowers threshold of when it can launch a nuclear strike in fresh warning to the West - just days after pro-Kremlin TV channel's simulated attack of London

Matt Strudwick

Vladimir Putin has lowered the threshold for when Russia can launch a nuclear strike in a chilling new threat to the West. 

The despot, 71, announced yesterday during a meeting of Russia's Security Council that he needed to 'correct' Moscow's nuclear doctrine.

Putin could now deploy his nuclear arsenal if the country was struck with conventional missiles, and the Kremlin chief said Moscow would consider any assault supported by a nuclear power as a joint attack.  

He said the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons are 'clearly fixed' and they could consider such a move if 'we receive reliable information about a massive launch of air and space attack assets and them crossing our state border'.

Putin said Russia reserved the right to use nuclear weapons if it or ally Belarus were the subject of aggression. 

'Aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear state, but with the participation or support of a nuclear state, is treated as a joint attack on the Russian Federation,' he said. 

This week, a devastating nuclear strike on London causing 850,000 deaths with two million injured has been simulated by a staunchly pro-Putin propaganda TV channel.

Broadcasting the four minute video with an English commentary appears to be the latest move in a concerted campaign to scare Britain from giving permission to Ukraine to allow Storm Shadow missiles to hit targets inside Russia.

Putin's propagandists and entourage have repeatedly warned that he could use nuclear weapons.

The video shown on Tsargrad's Telegram channel begins by threatening: 'Imagine for a moment that the unimaginable happens.

'A nuclear weapon explodes over London. In this documentary, we explore the devastating consequences of this catastrophe.

'In the simulation, we will use a warhead with a yield of 750 kilotons. That's a pretty powerful charge.'

The commentary warns viewers: 'Upon detonation, a fireball as hot as the sun rapidly expands, reaching a radius of 950 metres [1,039 yards].

'Anything trapped inside this fireball is instantly vaporised.

'In our simulation, the epicentre of the explosion is at Westminster.

'People within that radius won't even feel anything because the nerve impulse transmission speed is slower.

'Within 5 km [3 miles] of the epicentre the blast radius city of London, Camden town, Kensington, Brixton these areas will receive the most destruction.'

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