Putin says he may "expand the war" if Ukraine is supplied with long-range weapons

This was stated in Putin's address to the Federal Assembly on February 21.

"The more long-range systems come to Ukraine, the further we will move the threat away from our borders," the Russian president said.

He accused the West of trying to turn the war in Ukraine into a "phase of global confrontation" and said that Russia is not fighting the people of Ukraine, but the "Kyiv regime" and its "Western masters" who "occupied the country."

Putin claims that Russia's "nuclear deterrent forces are equipped with the latest systems by more than 91%."

• Russian President Putin has previously ordered to occupy Donetsk and Luhansk regions within their administrative boundaries by March.