How many times have the Russians threatened with a nuclear attack?

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has once again threatened a world war, including references to nuclear weapons. On Tuesday, the Russian official said that the West is "playing with fire" by allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with Western missiles and warned the United States that a Third World War would not be limited to Europe.

This is not the first time Russia has made nuclear threats amid the conflict in Ukraine. Such statements have appeared as follows:

• March 2022

Sergey Lavrov stated that if a third world war were to happen, it would involve nuclear weapons and be destructive, according to the RIA agency, cited by Reuters. The head of Russian diplomacy also said that Russia, which had just launched its attack on Ukraine, would face a "real danger" if Kyiv were to obtain nuclear weapons.

• April 2022

In an interview for Channel 1, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that there is a real danger of nuclear war. However, Lavrov said that, from Russia's perspective, this would be unacceptable.

• June 2023

Sergey Karaganov, a close associate of Vladimir Putin and Sergey Lavrov, wrote in an article published by the Russian state news agency RIA: "We have no choice: Russia will have to launch a nuclear attack on Europe."

• September 2023

Andrei Mordvichev, a senior Russian general promoted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, considers the invasion of Ukraine as merely a "step" towards continuing the conflict with Europe.

• March 2024

Vladimir Putin stated, as quoted by Reuters, that Russia remains in a state of combat readiness and is fully prepared for a nuclear war. "Weapons exist to be used. We have our own principles," said Putin, who also claimed that Russia is "not rushing toward a nuclear confrontation."

• April 2024

Sergey Lavrov stated that the support from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France for Ukraine poses serious strategic risks regarding a direct confrontation between the world's largest nuclear powers, according to Reuters. The Russian foreign minister warned the West not to underestimate the high risks of a nuclear conflict over Ukraine, considering that NATO is "essentially" engaged in a proxy war with Russia by supplying weapons to Kyiv.

• May 2024

Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council and former President (2008-2012) and Prime Minister (2012-2020) of Russia, declared that Russia practices deploying nuclear weapons to respond to any attack on its territory aided by the West, emphasizing: "Under certain circumstances, the response will not only be delivered to Kyiv and will not contain simple explosives, but also special ammunition."

• June 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that it is wrong to believe that Russia would never use nuclear weapons. The Kremlin leader said, according to NBC News: "For some reason, the West thinks that Russia would never use them. You can't take this lightly or superficially." At the same time, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the supply of weapons to strike inside Russia "cannot remain without consequences."