Russia warned the West and Ukraine on Friday of "disastrous consequences" if Kyiv moved against close Russian ally Belarus, making clear it would intervene to defend a country where it has deployed tactical nuclear weapons.

Russia has warned the West and Ukraine of severe repercussions if Kyiv acts against Belarus, a close ally where Russia has deployed tactical nuclear weapons. Moscow expressed concerns about increased activity on the Belarusian border and indicated potential intervention to defend Belarus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that if the West backs Ukraine's use of long-range missiles, it risks escalating the war into direct conflict with NATO. He emphasized that Moscow would respond decisively if its territory is targeted,

A close ally of President Vladimir Putin warned Western governments on Thursday that a nuclear war would ensue if they gave the green light for Ukraine to use long-range Western weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.

A senior Russian lawmaker on Thursday said that Ukrainian strikes on Russia with Western missiles would lead to global war with the use of nuclear weapons and