Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his country’s nuclear weapons squad to be on high alert.

Mr Putin, in a televised address Sunday, said Western countries have imposed harsh economic sanctions on Russia that were “illegitimate.”

“Western countries aren’t only taking unfriendly economic actions against our country, but leaders of major Nato countries are making aggressive statements about our country. So I order to move Russia’s deterrence forces to a special regime of duty,” Mr Putin said as transcribed by Max Seddon of the Financial Times.

The sanctions followed Mr Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, triggering a humanitarian crisis in that hitherto peaceful country. Ukrainians have continued to resist the Russians’ attempts to take over their country, dragging the war into a fourth day in a surprise to the rest of the world.

Russian military generals, including Sergey Shoygu, flanked Mr Putin during the address.

Details shortly…